Neon Genisis Evangelion: Secrets and Lies
by The Golden Child
Summary: Shinji makes a decision. Do or Don't? Meanwhile Asuka has her heart broken....can it be mended? And what lies in store for Kaji? Read and you shall be enlightened.
1. Choices We Make

The Digital Underground Presents  
  
Neon Genisis Evangelion  
Secrets and Lies  
  
The Golden Child, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Chapter 1: Choices We Make  
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"Familiar ceiling"  
  
Shinji always spoke those words when he was in the bathtub. It had begun as a statement when he first moved in with Misato, but now it meant more. To him, those two words summed up everything he had been searching for since his mother died. Love, kindness, compassion, understanding, familiarity. The Katsuragi household was more than an apartment, it was his home. For the first time in almost a decade, Shinji Ikari felt wanted, needed, worthy. Happy.  
  
Time to get a move on, he thought. Quickly drying himself, Shinji made his way to his room to get changed so he could start breakfast. Being a school day, Asuka and Misato weren't awake yet, so Shinji did his best to keep the noise level down.  
  
Opening a can of sardines, Shinji scooped them into Pen Pen's bowl and placed it in it's usual place next to the fridge. With the little penguins needs taken care of Shinji donned his apron and opened the pantry door to retrieve some ingredients. After a couple trips to the pantry and fridge, he lay all the contents on the bench and set about cooking.   
  
First up was the task of steaming the rice, as it took the longest. Taking a measuring cup, he scooped two cups of rice into a bowl and began to rince it under the tap. After he was satisfied that the rice was sufficiently cleaned, he refilled the bowl with water and poured the contents into the rice cooker.   
  
Next came the soup. After filling a pot with water, he waited patiently for it to boil before adding some chicken stock and vegetables and letting it simmer.   
  
Shinji was almost done with the fish when Asuka made her appearance, clad in her nightgown, which although not revealing at all, caught Shinji's eye a little longer than normal.  
  
"Good Morning Asuka." he greeted, before quickly returning to cooking, so as not to give the impression he was staring.  
  
"There's nothing good about this morning BAKA!" growled Asuka.  
  
Shinji involuntarily flinched when he heard her comment. Great, he thought. Morning and she's already pissed off.   
  
"Why do you stupid Japanese insist on sleeping on the floor anyway?!?!" She spoke with a whiney, high pitched squeal.  
  
Wisely, Shinji chose not to comment, instead he began serving breakfast, thinking she couldn't get angry at him for doing that. As soon as the bowl touched the table, he found out he was gravely mistaken.  
  
"OH GREAT, Just dandy! Not only do I have to disgrace myself by sleeping on a hard wood floor EVERY night, but idiot boy over here decides to leave meat out of my diet!! DAMMNIT SHINJI I NEED MEAT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!"  
  
"G...G-omen" stuttered Shinji as he instinctively raised his hands over his face to protect him.  
  
Seeing, his reaction, Asuka's face visibly softened and she slumped back into her chair. She then proceeded to stuff her face full of rice so as not to escalate the situation any further.  
  
After a few seconds, Shinji realised that he wasn't going to get beat up and silently began eating his own breakfast, making sure not to look in her direction.  
  
Mmmmm, damn this tastes good, screamed her taste buds. As Asuka ate, the anger she had felt earlier began to subside, doused down by some fine tasting Japanese food. After a few mouthfuls of rice and fish, washed down with soup, Asuka was able to think rationally again. The first thing she did, though was mentally kick herself for causing a scene first thing in the morning. Sure she was annoyed about having to sleep on the floor, but it wasn't Shinji's fault. So why did she take it out on him? He had even tried to be friendly, saying good morning and all, but no, Asuka Langley Sohryu had to throw it all back in his face.  
  
And then there was the food. Where had that outburst come from? Asking for meat was one thing, but demanding it like that? It had made her look like a poultry junkie. And it wasn't like the food in front of her was revolting. Shinji always made sure there was enough vinegar in the rice to stop it from tasting bland, and the fish was always flavoured differently to add variety. At first it had taken some getting used to, but now, only eating meat once or twice a week was proving to be beneficial to her health. She woke up bright and alert, didn't feel lethargic during the day, and her cholesterol level was dropping. But the question remained. Why? What was the reason for the outburst? She let that question linger in her mind as she glanced over to where Shinji was siitting, eating his food, probably too scared to chew out loud.  
  
"Hey Shinji....." Asuka barely whispered. "About what I said earlier, it's just...."  
  
Looking up from his bowl, Shinji saw the strain on her face. "I understand..." he reassured her with a weak smile. "You like meat. If you want, I can cook some sausages and eggs for breakfast tomorrow..."  
  
"Really?!?"  
  
"Yeah, no problem. I just have to stop by the supermarket tonight."  
  
"Great! Now hurry up or we'll be late for school." chirped the red head as she dumped her empty bowl in the sink before skipping off to her room to change.  
  
Shinji sat there, dumbstruck for a few moments before snapping out of his trance. How someone could be ready to snap his head off, and then five minutes later be nice enough to remind him about being late for school was beyond his knowledge. "Oh well, at least she's not pissed off anymore." he muttered with a smile as he finished off his rice, noticing Misato had finally woken up.  
  
"Morning Shinji." greeted Misato as she made her way to the fridge.  
  
"Morning Misato-san" grinned Shinji.  
  
Somewhat taken back by Shinji's grin, Misato took a big swig of her beer. After seeing that her was still smiling, she took another swig. And another. After downing her second beer, she looked at Shinji again. Still smiling. "Well, you seem happy today. How come?"  
  
"Asuka hasn't hit me yet!" smiled Shinji as he served her breakfast.  
  
"HA! There's still hope, yet. Oh by the way, there's something I need to tell you and Asuka later today, so remind me, ok?"  
  
"Okay. Gotta go, see you later today." he shouted over his shoulder as he ran to his room to retrieve his bag.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
As the two eva pilots walked to school, Asuka noticed that Shinji had a small, but genuine smile plastered on his face. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stopped him dead in his tracks and strategically placed her face directly in front of his, her nose almost touching his.  
  
"What are you so happy about, Third Child?"  
  
Taken a little off guard, Shinji recovered, only to develop his annoying stutter again. "Well...urr..umm...y...y-our not a..a-angry anymore." he finally got out.  
  
"Well, lucky for you, I don't find your actions worthy enough to hold a grudge on." she responded with a lift of her head, scoffing him before resuming her walk towards school.   
  
Arriving at the school grounds a few minutes later, the pair split up and made their way towards their friends, Shinji towards the bench where Kensuke and Touji were sitting, and Asuka towards the classroom where Hikari was sitting with some other girls.  
  
"Hey Shinji, what's up? You seem happy today. Catch a glimpse of Misato in an embarrasing situation did we?" winked Kensuke, as a leer spread across his face.  
  
"Unfortunately not." laughed Shinji. Whereas he was intimidated when in the prescence of Asuka and Misato, he felt completely at ease when around the other two stooges. This state of mind was reflected in his body language and his choice of words as he no longer felt uncomfortable talking about girls with them, as long as the topic didn't become too personal.  
  
"Well then why so happy? Most of the time you come to school grumpy cos Asuka's gone S&M on you again." stated Touji, trying to keep a straight face as Kensuke had a laugh at Shinji's expense.  
  
"Exactly, she didn't hit me today!"  
  
"OH MY GOD!" cried Suzuhara and Aida simultaneously. "It's the end of the world! Run for the hills." All three boys shared a good laugh before filing into the classroom to continue their conversation.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hiya Hikari, Yuriko, Mayumi."   
  
"Hey Asuka." replied the three girls, looking up at the new arrival.  
  
"So, who's the topic of discussion today? Anyone cute?" enquired the german, hungry for some tasty morsels of gossip.  
  
"Actually, we were talking about the trip. Have you got all your stuff ready yet?" enquired the class rep.  
  
"Yup. I'm all ready. I was packed a week ago. The only thing I'm missing is a swimsu...it..." All of a sudden Asuka's face brightenned up as an idea formed in her head. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." she told the other girls as she fished in her bag for her cell phone before retreating to a corner of the room for some privacy.  
  
  
  
**RING RING**RING RING**RING RING**  
  
  
  
"Hi Kaji, how are you?.....hehe....I'm GREAT!!!.....Well, you know there's that school trip next week, and I was wondering if you would like to come shopping with me?....oh come on, please?!?!....but you said you would....you still owe me from the last time you had to work remember?....oh thanks Kaji, your the greatest....well, how about after school tomorrow, it's only a half day so how about I meet you at 1:00pm?...excellent, see you then Kaji, bye....  
  
After terminating the call, Asuka threw her arms in the air and waved them around ceremoniously as she jumped and skipped around the room, whooping and cheering loudly, obviously elated at the outcome of the call she just had.   
  
"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii. I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii...."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, how did you manage to avoid a beating after she blew her top like that?" asked a puzzled Touji. Shinji had just finished telling them about the little incident that had occurred that morning and according to his statement, Touji was surprised he wasn't in the intensive care ward.  
  
"I honestly don't know, guys." shrugged Shinji as he pushed the door to the classroom open.   
  
As the three boys entered the room, they froze in their tracks. Confronting them was Asuka, for all appearances, looney to the max, running around the room like a wild turkey, ranting some incoherant crap. After the initial excitement subsided, Shinji deemed that he had seen weirder things and left his two sweatdropping friends to take his seat. He was two steps away from his chair when he suddenly frose, his ears finally catching up to the sounds emminating from Asuka's mouth. "Kaji?..." muttered Shinji as he willed himself to take those two extra steps to his chair. Dismissing it as too absurd to be true, Shinji slumped into his seat, withdrew his laptop and was in the process of plugging it in when his screen was bent down and he was face to face with 5'5" of grinning german beauty.   
  
"HAHA I got a date with Kaaajjjjjiiiii!!!!" taunted Asuka before sticking her tongue out at him and bouncing off to join Hikari.   
  
Shinji tried not to think as he turned his computer on. He found himself concentrating intently on the startup logo as he rested his chin on his wrists, elbows raised on the table. This was partly due to him trying to calm himself from shaking and partly so that his hand wouldn't reflexively clench and unclench into a fist. Try as he may, he couldn't stop the emotions, and eventually gave up. What overcame him was a feeling that he was well aware of, an emotion he had lived with most of his life. Jealousy. All his life he had been jealous of people, envious for what they had. Weither it was their new toys or their happiness or their friendships, he longed to have what wasn't there, and now he felt it again. This time, his jealousy wasn't directed towards Asuka, it was Kaji. Kaji had what he wanted.  
  
As his jealousy rose and rose, a small part of his brain was working overtime trying to convince him otherwise. After a painful half hour struggle, logic finally won the day and Shinji began seeing things clearly. First thing he realised was that nothing had changed. He knew she was smitten for Kaji, that wasn't news to him, and the notion that Kaji would ever start a relationship with Asuka was down right ludicrous. For starters, he was old enough to be her father, in fact he had been her guardian. And Kaji was very content chasing after Misato.  
  
"It's all in my mind, it's all in my mind...."  
  
Five minutes later, Shinji was able to reason to himself that the whole incident was a huge misunderstanding on his and Asuka's parts, especially the part about their so called 'date', and began concentrating on the lesson, shrugging off the uneasy notion he was feeling as just nerves. I'll get to the bottom of this later, he convinced himself.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Rise, Bow, Dismissed."  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, the lesson was over. Almost instantaneously, as if a switch had been pulled, thirty odd eager, teenagers began moving, creating a wave of sound and commotion that continued for several minutes until the last child had packed and departed, laughing and joking with friends.   
  
After seeing his friends off at the gate, Shinji caught up with Asuka as she began walking home. Deciding now was as good a time as any, Shinji took a deep breath, mustered up all his courage and confronted her.  
  
"Hey Asuka, can I ask you a question?"  
  
Hearing her name, Asuka stopped day dreaming about her 'date' with Kaji. "You just did baka."  
  
"Huh....?"  
  
"Never mind...what is it?"  
  
"Well...I was just wondering...are you really going on a date with Kaji?"  
  
"Mmm hmm" she replied with a nod. "Why? Jealous?"  
  
"Uh..well..no, I'm just curious that's all." He smiled nervously. "Where are you going?"  
  
"He's taking me shopping." Asuka sighed happily.  
  
"Shopping?"  
  
"Yeah, I've got to buy some stuff for Okinawa, he's meeting me tomorrow after school."  
  
As soon as she spoke the words, Shinji let out the breath of air he had inadvertantly been holding all day, a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Shopping. Just shopping. Friends did it all the time, and it's not like they're going to do anything romantic in the middle of a shopping centre. After all he was her guardian back in Germany, why wouldn't he take her shopping once in a while? Probably just wanted to catch up on her activities and such. Some date!  
  
All a big misunderstanding, he told himself as he silently plodded along next to Asuka. Unfortunately, bringing up Kaji hadn't been without it's consequenced as now Asuka was in the middle of listing each and every facet of his being that she found adorable.   
  
Normally, Shinji would just tune out, as he was used to it by now but this time, it was getting personal. Now Shinji was well aware that she was infatuated with Kaji and winning her affections was always going to be an uphill battle, but never before had he realised that his dream was so out of reach.  
  
"Oh Kaji's such a man, not like you....he's so handsome, it's a fresh change from seeing your boring face everyday....not to mention he has a beard. Hmmph, I bet you never even used a razor in your life! And he's so smoothe with words, unlike your stuttering...and he dresses so well...and I bet he cooks better than you too....*sigh*....he's just perfect...I wish he would just hurry up and ask me to marry him..."  
  
If there ever was a time when Shinji felt heartbroken, now was the time. Not only had the girl of his dreams said in no uncertain terms that she loved someone else, but she had outlined his each and every fault and weakness. No, heartbroken was too kind a word. Right now, Shinji Ikari felt lower than the lowest form of living organism in the world. Snail slime was teasing him about his lowliness.  
  
Leaving Asuka in her dream like trance, Shinji rushed home as quickly as was humanly possible, not wanting to face reality. SDAT land seemed very inviting right then. Yes SDAT land, where the girls are nice, and dreams come true. Where the good guys win and everybody's happy.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Misato, having arrived home from work a little while ago, had already taken a bath and was relaxing on the couch, sipping a cold one, when Shinji walked past her, SDAT playing at full volume.   
  
"Hey Shinji, I didn't hear you.....come......in.....?" Taking another sip of beer, Misato waited for Asuka to storm through the door, as was the usual case whenever Shinji was listening to his SDAT, signaling she was angry. After a few tense moments, Asuka still hadn't appeared. Preparing herself for the worst, she finished the rest of the beer in one gulp, scanned the elevator well for Asuka, and then headed for Shinji's room once she saw the coast was clear.   
  
"Shinji, it's me. Can I come in?"   
  
"SHINJI!......That's it! I'm coming in." Yanking the door open, Misato made way to his bed, where he was lying down, staring at the ceiling, before pulling his headphones out of his ears.  
  
"What's the big idea running to your room to sulk?"  
  
"I'm not sulking." replied Shinji, still staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head.  
  
"Oh, yeah? Then why did you ignore me and why were you hiding behind your SDAT again?"  
  
"I'm not hiding behind my SDAT! I was just listening to a new tape." he retorted as he reached for his headphones.   
  
"Not so fast." Misato grabbed his player and headphones, hiding them behind her back, out of Shinji's reach.  
  
"HEY! Give it back!"  
  
"Not until you spill!"  
  
"Fine." As a victory smile crossed Misato's face, Shinji calmly stood up and walked past her, plonking himself on the couch, remote in hand.  
  
After the initial shock of having been beaten at her own game died down, Misato decided to let him be, and took a seat at the kitchen table to observe her moody charge.   
  
Five minutes later, Shinji was still channel hopping, although he had already cycled through all the channels many times already, finding the motion of constantly pressing the channel button was keeping him occupied.  
  
As she was debating the merits of weither she should destroy the remote or not, thinking she would go crazy if Shinji changed the channel again, Asuka stepped through the front door. Instinctively, Misato readied herself for third impact, but was rudely shocked when instead was met with a friendly greeting.  
  
"Hey Misato, how was work?"  
  
"Huh....? Oh fine as usual. How was school?"  
  
"Same old, same old. Although I am going on a date with Kaji tomorrow." Asuka said with a dreamy sigh.  
  
"That's nice....hey do you know what's wrong with Shinji?"   
  
"Who know's" she replied with a shrug. "I was walking home with him when all of a sudden he ran off."  
  
"Well do you know why he ran off?"  
  
"Uh uh, I was too busy thinking about Kaji..." she sighed as she made her way to her room.  
  
Misato, after putting two and two together, thanked her first grade maths teacher and plonked down beside Shinji. She was going to get to the bottom of this, if it meant pulling an all nighter.  
  
"You know, it makes for much better viewing if you pause long enough to actually see more than two seconds of the show."  
  
"Huh? Oh sorry" said Shinji, putting the remote down, stopping on a news program.  
  
"So, girl troubles huh?"  
  
Shinji tried to feign confusion. "I don't know what your talking about Misato."   
  
"Don't play stupid with ME! Do I look like an idiot to you?!?" Absentmindedly, Shinji looked Misato over and was about to speak when he was cut off. "Don't even think about answering that! Now, Are you going to tell me that Asuka getting a date with Kaji and you moping around like a loser are just coincidence?"  
  
"Yes. I'm not dumb you know! As if Kaji would take a girl half his age out on a real date! Give me more credit than that Misato!"  
  
"Well then what's your problem?"  
  
"Don't have one." That was a lie.   
  
"SHINJI!" shouted Misato, grabbing a hold of his shoulder and spinning him around to face her. "Problems don't solve themselves, you know. Ignoring it will only make it worse. Whatever problem you have, tell me, god knows you need all the help you can get!" She calmed herself down before continuing in a soothing voice. "Now what's wrong? Did Asuka hurt you again?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Bad day at school?"  
  
"No, not really...."  
  
"Look Shinji, now I know that your going through a tough time, but it helps if you talk about it. Remember that I was your age once and chances are I've experienced what you've been through." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sure I didn't have to deal with the whole Angel-Eva thing, but whatever it is, weither it be family, friends, relationships, or school, you can talk to me about it."  
  
"Thanks for that Misato, and I'll take you up on that offer one day, but right now I don't have a problem!" Shinji tried desperately to sound convincing, hoping he wasn't stuttering more than normal.  
  
Sensing Shinji's reluctance to talk, Misato took the initiative. "Ok, who's your friend and what's his problem?"  
  
"Huh?....what are you talking about...?"  
  
"Well it's obvious that something is eating you up and seeing as you don't have a problem, then it means one of your friends does!" stated Misato, wishing he would take a hint.  
  
Shinji blinked, blinked again, and then it hit him. "Well..... I've got a friend at school, and.....he really likes this girl, only she doesn't like him."  
  
"Your gonna have to give me a bit more info than that, Shinji. What exactly doesn't this girl like about him?" Misato smiled inwardly at her little victory.  
  
After thinking long and hard about how to proceed without letting Misato know all the facts, it dawned upon him. "Ok, lets say for example, you like Kaji, however, he hates your sloppiness. What would you do?"  
  
Seeing where he was going, Misato laughed out loud. "HA! I'd tell him to go screw himself and find another man, one that appreciates my laziness!"  
  
"Seriously Misato!" scowled Shinji  
  
"I am. If someone doesn't like him for who he is, then your friend should find someone else. Simple as that. There are plenty of fish in the sea, you know!"  
  
"I see...." responded Shinji, hanging his head slightly.  
  
"However..." seeing Shinji raise his head back up in anticipation, Misato continued. "We as humans are given something called a brain. A big one at that, and this brain of ours allows us to learn and do something called grow, figuratively. What that means is that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and it's up to us to decide and improve on our weaknesses so we grow as individuals." Shinji noddded his understanding. "Now in saying that, I don't mean your friend should change everything because someone tells him to. Sure, it should factor into it, but first and foremost he have to ask himself is what he's doing going to make himself a better person and does he want to do it?"  
  
"To put that into context with your example, if Kaji didn't like my sloppiness then I would ask myself if I stop being lazy, what do I gain? Obviously there's the tidyness factor, and the public image, not to mention I get more done BLAH BLAH BLAH....and if there are enough good reasons and I want to do it then I should. Kaji's opinion does have a say, but ultimately I do it because I want to. Understand?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "I think so. People should change if they think it's for the better, and because they want to, not because someone tells them to. Right?"  
  
"Right!"  
  
"Does that apply for everything?"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Well what about if you didn't like Kaji, only it was a whole lot of things, not just one."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"He's ugly, he dresses bad, he's boring, he's shy, has no backbone, is weak and has no muscles...to name a few..."  
  
"Well...you can change all those things, I mean, he can gain fashion sense, get a life, grow a backbone, gain confidence, workout at a gym. The only thing you can't change is his appearance....unless of course, plastic surgery." Seeing Shinji smile for the first time since he arrived home, Misato felt a warm, fuzzy feeling. "But remember! Kaji has to want to do it!"  
  
"I will!" Smiled Shinji, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Thanks Misato, my friends really gonna be happy when I tell him your advice!"   
  
"Think nothing of it! Just tell your friend to think it through before he does anything stupid." dismissed Misato with a wave of her hand and a knowing wink. "Hmmm..." smiled Misato. "I better tell Kaji to shape up or Asuka won't want to go out with him anymore."  
  
Both of them shared a laugh when Misato suddenly remembered something.  
  
"That reminds me! About that school trip of yours...."  
  
"We can't go can we?" Shinji already knew the answer.  
  
"Well...sorry but your needed here in Tokyo-3....I'm really sorry Shinji, but..."  
  
"It's ok, Misato. I wasn't really looking forward to it anyway."  
  
"Huh? How come? I thought you would like a little time away?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but I can't swim..."  
  
"I see. Well I'm glad you understand. I just hope Asuka doesn't break anything expensive..."  
  
"Um Misato...you might want to wait until she's gone shopping with Kaji before telling her, she's been looking forward to going shopping with him all day."  
  
"Hmmm...yeah that might be a good idea...hey where are you going?"  
  
"I just remembered that I promised Asuka I would cook sausages and egg for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I have to go buy some sausages."  
  
"Oh, ok. Here." Misato retrieved a couple of notes from her pocket and handed them to Shinji.  
  
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." He stated, retrieving a few notes to emphasise his point.  
  
"Nonsense, that's your money. After all, NERV pays me child allowance for a reason you know!" Nodding, Shinji accepted the money. "Oh, while your there, why don't you pick up something for tomorrows dinner also. I'm in the mood for some good old western food." She handed him some more notes. "There that should cover it."  
  
"Ok, I'll be back in time to make dinner, bye." shouted Shinji as he hobbled to the front door while slipping on his joggers.  
  
"Oh Shinji!"  
  
"Hai?"   
  
"Don't worry, Asuka doesn't think your ugly." Misato burst into laughter as Shinji blushed a mean shade of red before disappearing behind the door. "Man, I'd give anything to be fourteen again...." she mused to herself as she opened a beer.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.   
  
"So Mr Kaji, you seem to be quite resourceful. The others will want to hear about this discovery." the man whispered to himself before logging off. After making sure that no evidence of his stay was left behind, he crept out of the room and made his way out of the geofront. He had news to report.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hmmm....I think 6 will do thank you." Shinji handed the counterhand a bill and took the parcel with his outstretched hand. Now that the sausages were taken care of, he set about deciding what to make for tomorrow's dinner. He had already decided on making steaks, but now had to figure out what to accompany them. After searching the shelves of the supermarket, he settled on a satchel of pepper and mushroom sauce and some pasta. He then made his was to the produce section, picked up some ingredients for a salad and then proceeded to the register to pay.  
  
Moments later, Shinji was on the streets, walking home, two plastic bags in his hands. Being a shop that stocked western foods as well as traditional Japanese, the supermarket was located in the shopping districts of Tokyo-3. What that meant, for Shinji, was it took a thirty minute walk or a quick trip on the trains to get there and back. Being a cloudless night and quite warm, Shinji had decided to forgo public transport, opting to slog it out, letting his brain think things through.   
  
Needless to say, Asuka seemed to be the special of the day as he added some food for thought. Contrary to popular belief, Shinji wasn't as clueless as some when it came to love. He knew he was falling for the her, he just didn't know why!   
  
Shinji had every reason to hate Asuka, yet the more he wanted to despise her, the more he found himself attracted to her. Yes she was annoying, she abused him, she was loud and obnoxious and arrogant. But on the other hand she was everything he wasn't. She was proud, confident, positive, determined and full of life.  
  
Maybe it was their polar personalities, the whole 'opposites attract' saying, or the fact that deep down inside, they had more in common than they realised. Whatever it was, Shinji knew what he had to do. He was at a crossroads in his life. He had to make a choice, a decision.   
  
Take the road travelled and mask his feelings for her, or take the road less travelled. Save himself a lot of time effort and possibly embarrasment and heartbreak, or commit himself to a task, a goal and give it his best shot. In other words, stay the way he was or change for the better, the reward being the girl of his dreams. Were his feelings for Asuka strong enough to transform him from a shy, reclusive boy to a young confident individual who was determined to 'do what it takes' for the sake of love?   
  
That night Shinji made a decision that would change his life forever. That night he took the backway home.  
  
  
  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER 1....  
  
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Authors Notes:  
  
Well, there you have it, the first chapter. Just to let you all know, this is a Shinji/Asuka fic, although it isn't going to be all WAFF. I will be adding some plot twists along the way as I see fit. There's also going to be a lot of character and plot development happening over the next two or three chapters so be ready. I guess the catagory this falls in is general as there's gonna be some romance, WAFF, drama, action and a tad of darkness to spice up your life.   
  
Timeline wise this fic starts a month after the seventh angel attack (the splitting angel), a couple of days before the eighth angel appears, and carries to the end. Don't even bother trying to get the synopsis from me, I ain't gonna spill! However I will hint that the ending will be different from what's doing the rounds at the moment. Also I won't be adding in any ACC's, well maybe a couple but they aren't canon characters.  
  
Expect it to go on for about 50 chapters with a new chapter being churned out about once a week, unless of course, WRITERS BLOCK!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. I'm sure there's more that I would like or need to tell you but my brain doesn't seem to be functioning properly right now, so hit me with a line if ya want to know something, anything,....just don't leave ME.....I NEED you so BAD!!!!  
  
Flame me if you want, I really don't care. My only response is "If ya don't like it, then don't read it!"  
  
Anyway.....  
  
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OMAKE TIME!!!!  
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Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.   
  
"So Mr Kaji you seem to be quite resourceful. The other guys will want to know about this discovery! How you ever had the time to accumulate 3 gigs of hardcore porn I will never know." A shiver ran down his spine as he opened the last folder. "Why you have a video of the two commanders doing it I don't want to know!!!!" After regaining his composure, the man checked that he left no signs of his visit and then made his way out of the geofront, a data disc full of pilfered porn, no doubt as to what his next course of action would be.  
  
  
The End....  
  
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My Bad....^_^ I promise to be more tasteful, and funny with future Omakes.  
  
Until next time...peace. Me out. ;p   
  
Email/c&c/flame me at: e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Broken Hearts Are Hard To Mend

The Digital Underground Presents  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion  
Secrets and Lies  
  
The Golden Child, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Chapter 2: Broken Hearts are Hard to Mend  
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Stepping out of her room, Asuka's senses immediately alerted her that breakfast was ready.  
  
"Good Morning Asuka. Breakfast is ready, sausages and eggs!" greeted Shinji in an oversized apron.  
  
Asuka giggled at the sight before her. "Morning Shinji, nice outfit!"  
  
Shinji blushed. "Huh? Oh yeah...the apron. I didn't want to get oil on my uniform." He placed a plate in front of Asuka.  
  
Asuka cut a piece of sausage, checked it was cooked all the way through, and then took a tentative bite. A smile crossed her face before she dug into breakfast. "Mmmm...good..." she managed to get out between mouthfuls.  
  
Shinji found himself staring as a content Asuka hungrily devoured her food.  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"Huh..yes?"  
  
"Are you going to have some or are you going to stand there all day?"  
  
"Hehe." Shinji laughed sheepishly before serving himself and joining Asuka at the table.  
  
Being in a good mood that morning, Asuka took a seat back at the table after finishing her breakfast and waited for Shinji to finish so they could head off to school together. After a few seconds she decided to break the silence. "Soooo....where's Misato?"  
  
"Um...she's still asleep. She doesn't have to work today..."  
  
"Hmm...Lucky her. At least someone is getting the weekend off!"   
  
"Yeah...I guess. It's not like she does anything with it anyway. She'll probably sleep half the time and get drunk the other half." Shinji finished the last of his sausages and began clearing the table. "Um...Asuka, your still going shopping with Kaji right?"  
  
"Yup...why?"   
  
"Well, are you going to be home for dinner?"  
  
"Probably..."  
  
"Ok...because...um...yesterday...er...Misato..er..um..she told me to...um..buy some meat f..for dinner...so..."  
  
"Mmm Hmmm...yeah..." Asuka had learnt very early on that when Shinji began to stutter, it was best to sit it out and not press the matter or else it got worse, hence she found her train of thought drifting off as Shinji struggled with his words.  
  
"...so..um..I bought...s.s-some..st..st-steaks..."  
  
All of a sudden, Asuka's eyes lit up. "WHAT?!? STEAKS??!!" A little taken back, Shinji nodded. "WOOOHOOO! I just know today's gonna be a good day. First, a good breakfast, then I get to go out with Kaji and now a steak dinner! You may have outdone yourself this time Shinji!"  
  
Shinji blushed. "Um..er Thankyou."  
  
"Hey, don't go congratulating yourself just yet, let's see how well you do dinner first. Now, come on, let's get going."  
  
"But...I still have to do the dishes..."  
  
"Leave it! Let Misato do them, I don't want to get detention for being late!"  
  
Shinji was about to protest that they had plenty of time, but one look by Asuka silenced him. "Oh ok..."  
  
"That's a good boy!" Asuka petted his head as a person might do to their pet before skipping off to her room to grab her bag.  
  
Shinji smiled before making his way to his own room. Somehow he felt that the day was going to be a good one too.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Four hours later....  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I can't believe I just wasted three hours of my life listening to him!" Touji lamented as the three stooges emerged, bleary eyed, from the classroom. Saturday's lesson had just finished and everyone was eager to go home, those that were awake, that is.  
  
"Tell me about it! If I'd had known Second Impact was today's topic I would have skipped class." Kensuke furiously rubbed his tired eyes back to life. "Hey Shinji, wanna come with us to the mall? I here the arcade just got the latest version of Tekken VS Virtua Fighter Pro!"  
  
Not really feeling up to the task of battling it out in an overcrowded arcade for the next few hours, Shinji kindly declined. "No thanks guys, I think I'll check up on Misato, hopefully the place isn't too messy."  
  
Touji smirked. "You know, Misato can mess up my place any day." He nudged Kensuke in the ribs. "You know what I mean." Shinji hung his head and sighed.  
  
"Well, maybe we can do something tomorrow...I'll give you a call later tonight OK?" Shouted Kensuke as he and Touji began walking in the opposite direction.   
  
"OK!! Bye." Shinji waved as he watched them cross the street before heading off home. He was halfway down the street when he heard his name being called.  
  
"Hey! What's the big idea not waiting for me?" Asuka huffed.  
  
"Sorry...I thought you were going to meet Kaji..."  
  
"Baka! Not in my school uniform! I've gotta go home and change first! Geez, do you really think I would go on a date in this...this hideous outfit? You and Wondergirl maybe, but this girls got fashion sense...."  
  
Shinji sighed when he realised what was happening. Why is it that no matter where I go, all I do is listen to people drone on and on for hours on end?! He asked himself. If it is sensei yapping about Second Impact, it's Touji and Kensuke talking about Misato or Asuka about Kaji!  
  
"Oh well, at least I still have my SDAT!" he whispered as he pressed the play button.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"OI!" Asuka violently yanked the headphones out of his ears. "Are you LISTENING?!?!"  
  
Rather annoyed, Shinji rubbed his sore ears. "Umm...actually...um..er..of course I was!"   
  
"Then what was I saying?!?!"   
  
Shinji began panicking as he saw Asuka clench her fists in rage. All of a sudden he realised that their building was only a few blocks away.  
"Um...you were saying...run?" Realising Asuka wasn't looking at him, he made a break for it.  
  
"No I wasn't!!!" Turning back around, she almost blew her top when she saw Shinji a few metres away, running for his life. "AHHHHH STUPID THIRD CHILD!! I"LL KILL YOU!!!" she yelled as she gave chase.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ack!!!" Misato woke up to another hung over day. Looking at her clock, she realised that the children would be home soon, and so dragged her ass out of bed. Better to not let them think I'm lazy, she thought.   
  
Moments later she was watching TV while enjoying a beer, not bothering to change out of her pyjamas. Crushing the now empty can, she threw it into a corner of the room and retrieved another one from the six pack at her feet. She was in the process of emptying that can when the front door slid open and a blur resembling Shinji came running into the house. It shouted a greeting before rushing off into Shinji's room and locking the door.  
  
It was only then that she heard the obscene language that was emanating from the elevator well.   
  
"Oh...crap!" She sighed as she switched on to Asuka damage control mode.  
  
"Where is HE?!?"  
  
"Asuka...calm down." Misato said calmly as she stood in front of his door, arms outstretched, making sure there was always two metres, separating herself from the fiery red head.  
  
"Get out of my way Misato or else..." She said through clenched teeth.  
  
"No..not till you calm down!"  
  
"That's it!" Asuka tried to work her way around Misato to get to Shinji's room. After a quick struggle she wormed her way around Misato's arms and was just about to break through the flimsy door when something Misato shouted caught her attention.  
  
"Asuka! Stop this now or else you'll be late for your date with Kaji!"   
  
Asuka checked her watch, calculated the time it took to get to the mall and then gave the door one last punch out of frustration. "We'll finish this later THIRD CHILD!!!" With that, she stormed into her own room.  
  
Several mintues later, Asuka, clad in a tight fitting top and shorts, left the apartment in a huff. Breathing a sigh of relief, Misato made her way to Shinji's door.   
  
"She's gone. You can come out now."  
  
Some shuffling noises were made before the door opened to reveal Shinji, still in his uniform. He slowly raised his head and returned Misato's gaze wordlessly.  
  
"So..." Misato spoke up, waiting for an explanation.  
  
"So." he replied  
  
"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" Misato asked in quizzical tone  
  
"You really wanna know?"   
  
"Well, it might be useful when the police try to pin a motive on Asuka for your homicide!"  
  
"HAHA Very funny, Misato." Shinji replied dryly, not sharing Misato's sense of humour.  
  
"Well, I try. Now do tell!"  
  
"It's nothing, really!"  
  
"I'll be the judge of that! So spill!"  
  
Sighing, Shinji began. "Well we were walking home and Asuka was droning on about something or other...so I began listening to my SDAT."   
  
"And?"  
  
"...And then all of a sudden she pulled my headphones off and started yelling about whether I was listening to her or not..."  
  
"So...?"  
  
"S I said I was and then she got mad and asked me what she was saying and I freaked out and I kind of....ran home..."  
  
At that point Misato broke out in a fit of laughter. "Is that ALL?!? I thought you did something real bad like accidentally see her naked or something. Geez running away...how many times have I told you you mustn't run away?!?"   
  
"I'm serious Misato! She looked like she could have killed me on the spot, so I panicked."  
  
"Well why didn't you just say you weren't listening to her and save all the trouble?"  
  
"Because she would have got mad at me for ignoring her!" Shinji stated the obvious.  
  
"Well look at her now! Not only is she mad at you, she's ready to commit murder in the first!"   
  
"Shinji smacked his head quite violently. "I'm an idiot!"   
  
"You know Shinji, your a boy, so start acting like one. Stop letting Asuka boss you around!"  
  
"It's not that easy, Misato."  
  
"Geez do you have any balls at all?" Misato said in a huff.  
  
"Hey! I resent that! I don't let her push me around...it's just...oh I don't know!"  
  
"Yeah...who knows about that girl...so what are your plans for the rest of today?"  
  
Shinji shrugged. "Nothing really, thought I might do some cleaning."  
  
"Boring! Come on, you can keep me company while I watch TV."  
  
Shinji sighed as he prepared to waste another day of his life.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Where is she? She's late."   
  
Kaji had been waiting for a good half hour now. As he checked his watch again for the umpteenth time, he thought about how he was going to break the news to Asuka. Being transferred to NERV had had it's advantages, but he wasn't able to exercise his curiosity as much as he would have liked, no thanks to a particular pilot who insisted she follow his every move. What began as some harmless fun, was now out of control. Not only was Asuka's constant infatuation with him stopping him from finding out NERV's deepest, darkest secrets, but it was also encroaching on his advances towards Misato. It's got to end now, he thought. Poor girl, she really needs to find a guy.  
  
His thought's then drifted to how he was going to break it to her. Better to do it while they were at the mall. She was less likely to cause a scene when in public. After deciding that he would wait until she had done her shopping before telling her, Kaji felt a lot easier. He didn't want to do it to her, after all her cared for her like a little sister, but there was no other way.   
  
"I wonder what she's going to say?" He said to no one in particular. Needless to say, he was quite alarmed when he got a response.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Waaaaahhhhh! Asuka! Don't do that!" Calming himself down, he remembered what she had said. "Yes?"  
  
"Well, you were going to ask me to marry you right?" Before he could respond, she spoke up. "The answers yes!"  
  
"Is that all you think about? Me asking you to marry you."  
  
"Well it's the truth isn't it?"  
  
"There's just no getting past you is there?" Somehow Kaji felt that telling her was going to be harder than he had thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Shinji was in pain. He had just spent the last hour watching probably the worst show on earth. What he couldn't understand was why someone would be stupid enough to volunteer to appear on TV only to be placed in embarrassing and demeaning situations by a middle aged, overweight, has been from twenty years back. What was even more unbelievable was the fact that Misato seemed to be having the time of her life.  
  
"OH my god! This is so funny! And I thought nothing could beat yesterdays episode, 'Mom, Dad, I'm getting married, but she's a he...'"  
  
As the credits rolled, Misato switched the TV off and wiped a tear from her eye. "Now wasn't that fun!" Shinji sweatdropped.  
  
"What? You no like?"  
  
"Bad!" was all Shinji could whisper.  
  
"Well that's daytime television for you! Besides you should be out playing with your friends, not moping around at home."  
  
"Didn't feel like doing anything today, and besides I thought you would have appreciated me cleaning this place up."  
  
"Not if it means that you have to forgo having a life!" Misato sighed at his blank expression. "After all, Asuka and I can look after ourselves. We don't need you being our servant or anything."  
  
"Sure Misato." he replied rather skeptically.  
  
"Don't get smart with me!" she warned. "Well, what do you want to do then? More TV?"  
  
"No! Please, no more!" Shinji begged.  
  
"Oh all right..." Misato pouted. "How about...you tell me about school then? Anything interesting happen that I should know about?" She gave him a little wink.  
  
Shinji shook his head. He didn't like where Misato was heading.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey! Isn't this the swimsuit section?" Kaji didn't like where this was heading.  
  
"That's right!" Asuka cried out as she disappeared behind a rack of costumes. "What do you think about this one?"   
  
Kaji let out a little gasp at the sight of the swimsuit in question. "Isn't that just a little too revealing for a girl your age?"  
  
"Awww your no fun! This is what all the girls are wearing now!" Somehow Kaji didn't fully believe her words. "So? Do you like it?"  
  
"I guess so.." he said half heartedly, regretting ever agreeing to go shopping with her.  
  
"Great! Well I'll go try it on, so don't peek!"   
  
Kaji shook his head, wishing he was somewhere else, anywhere else. The shocked stares of the other female shoppers weren't easing his nerves either.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Shinji wished he were somewhere else right now. His conversation with Misato had started off well enough, but now it felt like it had turned into an interrogation. As he faltered under Misato's stare, he felt his cheeks burn up. "Tell ME!!"  
  
"NO!"   
  
"Shinji! It's not like I'm telling you to name names. I mean a simple yes or no will do!"  
  
Realising that Misato wasn't going to stop badgering him till he gave her an answer, he relented. "Fine. Yes, yes I do. Happy now?"  
  
"Haha! Shinji's got a crush, Shinji's got a crush..." Misato excitedly shouted as she jumped and clapped her hands. One glare from Shinji quickly silenced her though. "Sorry. So who's the lucky girl?"  
  
"Misato? You said you weren't going to ask!"  
  
"No, I said I didn't ask you for a name, now I am!" she corrected him.  
  
Shinji huffed and crossed his arms in a show of defiance. "Well too bad! I'm not telling, no matter what!"  
  
"OK."  
  
"OK?" Shinji was confused. Normally Misato would have put up more of a fight.  
  
"Yeah. if you don't want to tell me then you don't have to. I'll respect your privacy." Misato responded calmly as she turned the TV on again.  
  
"Uh...Thankyou." Shinji didn't know what else to say so he just made his way to his room. He was about to step through the doorway when Misato spoke up again.  
  
"However..." Shinji frowned. He should have known Misato was up to something. "...if you don't tell me then how am I supposed to help you get the object of your affection?"  
  
"I don't care!" Shinji slammed the door to his room, or what passed for a slam as he didn't want to damage the door, rather annoyed at Misato's constant teasing and tormenting.  
  
"We'll see..." she said to herself as she settled in for some more talk show television.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kaji took a large swig of his beer. He would have preferred something much stronger to drink, but the sun was still high in the sky and they were still in a shopping mall and not a bar. At the moment they were seated in an outdoor food court, chatting over some refreshments. Asuka had just spent the last hour or so shopping for one very revealing swimsuit and some other accessories while Kaji had spent the whole time trying to avoid being arrested for charges of peodophilia. Now that the shopping was out of the way, Kaji was preparing to let her down, gently if possible. Just keep her talking for a bit longer, his brain told him.  
  
"So, where are you going?"  
  
"O-KI-NA-WA! We're even going scuba diving!"  
  
"Why, it's been years since I've been diving..."  
  
"Hey, where did you go for your school trip?"  
  
"I never had one..."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Oh just a little thing called the Second Impact." Asuka looked a little confused. "That's right, I was your age when Second Impact occurred, which means I'm twice your age."  
  
"Really? You don't look like your thirty."   
  
"Yeah, well I'm young at heart. In fact Misato is convinced I'm still eighteen years old." Asuka began to chuckle but stopped when she noticed Kaji had his serious face on. "That brings up something I've been meaning to tell you for a while. Now hear me out Asuka...."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Wow, you must really like her, it only took you twenty minutes to think over it!"   
  
"I'm not going to tell you! I just came out for a drink."  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
Shinji made his way to the fridge, and retrieved said drink, however he didn't return to him room immediately. "Misato..."  
  
"Ha I knew it! Tell me!"  
  
"No! That's not what I was going to say! I was just wondering if you think Asuka's going to hurt me when she gets back."  
  
Misato looked dejected. She was certain Shinji was going to divulge his secret. Aparently she was wrong. "Well, uh..that depends how her date with Kaji goes, why?"  
  
"Oh well, I was thinking about what you said earlier and I realised I might want to live a little longer, that's all." Both enjoyed a laugh.  
  
"Shinji." Misato said in a serious tone. "About that other thing I said earlier, I was being serious, if you need any help just ask ok?" Shinji nodded, a little embarrassed. "Now I know sometimes I joke around, but if you ever want to talk seriously just tell me."  
  
"Ok Misato."  
  
"So, are you going to tell me now?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Damn! Oh well, anytime your ready. I'll be waiting."  
  
"Thanks Misato, but why the interest? My life can't be that interesting can it?"  
  
"Hey! I'm just doing what anybody else would do. And besides, if there's anybody who needs help, it's you!"   
  
Shinji shot daggers at her. "Kidding, geez."  
  
"Maybe it's to make up for your non existent love life?" Shinji offered, before being scared out of his skin by the look Misato gave him.  
  
"Seriously though, I know your going through a hard time what with EVA, NERV, your father, puberty and all so I'm just trying to make life a little easier, that's all."  
  
"Thanks anyway, I'll remember your offer next time I have a question."  
  
"No probs Shinji, now get outta here you little rascal!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What I'm saying is that I'm a full time employee of NERV now and not your guardian anymore, so I just don't have the time to be playing games and chauffeuring you around anymore." He didn't want to sound so cold hearted, but he knew that he had to be blunt or else Asuka wouldn't get the message.   
  
I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry, Asuka kept telling herself. regaining her composure, she spoke up. "I see. So your saying you don't want to be my friend anymore. That you only cared for me because you were my guardian and it was your job."  
  
"No Asuka! That's not what I meant. I still want to be your friend! No it's not my job anymore, but I still care for you like a little sister, it's just that I'm not available for you 24 hours a day anymore. That's Misato's job now. All I'm saying is that you can't call me at work all the time, and I'm not going to be available to go out on any dates with you anymore. And there's also someone else...."  
  
"Misato."  
  
"Well...yes."  
  
"I understand."  
  
Kaji let out a sigh of relief as he realised his plan had worked. "Come on, I'll give you a lift home." He went to take her hand when she pulled it away from him.   
  
"Don't touch me, I can make my own way home. Good-bye Kaji." Asuka picked up her bags and walked away, willing herself not to cry in front of him.   
  
Kaji sat at the table, fingers drumming on his glass. He knew he had done the right thing, however he didn't feel right inside. Maybe it was because he knew he had just broken the heart of someone he cared about. "I just hope she can find someone who can show her real love..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Misato sat at the table with her beer, patiently waiting for Asuka to come home. Shinji was seated next to her, sipping a cup of tea. She had realised that she still needed to tell Asuka that she couldn't go to Okinawa, and so was going to get it over and done with the minute Asuka stepped through the door.   
  
Her reverie was broken by the beep of the elevator, indicating that the lift was on their floor. That was followed by another beep indicating the front door was unlocking. After the door opened Asuka stepped through, her clothes slightly ruffled, but looking normal as usual, except for her eyes. If one were to look they would have noticed that apart from seeming completely lifeless, they were about to start erupting tears.   
  
Without even looking at the girl, Misato took a deep breath and began.   
"Asuka. I have something to tell you. It involves your school trip to Okinawa. Basically your not allowed to go. Now before you start shouting, the reason why is because your EVA pilot's and thus your on permanent standby duty in the event that an angel attacks the city. Any questions?" It was only then that Misato looked at Asuka and realised something was amiss.  
  
Taking the information in and digesting it, all Asuka's brain told her was that Misato had once again found a way to make her life miserable. Not being able to control her anger anymore, she took it out on her first target. "I HATE YOU, YOU, YOU BITCH!!!"  
  
"WH...WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?"   
  
"YOU HEARD ME! AWWW DID I UPSET YOU?!?! WHY DON'T YOU GO FIND KAJI AND FUCK HIM? IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER YOU SLUT!!!!" With that Asuka stormed off to her room, barely able to hold back the tears.  
  
Shinji simply sat at the table, wide eyed as Misato cradled her head in her hands. "If I wasn't legally responsible for her well being...oooohhhhhhhhh" she mumbled before she retrieving as much beer as she could carry and stormed off into her own room.   
  
After a few more moments, Shinji got up himself. "Oh well, might as well clean the house now."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Cleaning the apartment proved to be a simple enough task, partly because there was only the laundry, kitchen and living rooms to clean and partly because Shinji always kept them relatively clean to begin with, which is why Shinji found himself vacuuming the carpet a second time that evening. Although the carpet didn't need a second vacuuming, he felt the need to keep himself occupied until it was time to make dinner. As he thought about dinner, he remembered how he had wanted to impress Asuka by cooking some steaks. Fat chance now. Not only was she in a bad mood, she had also managed to piss Misato off, more so than usual. Trying to salvage the rest of the day, Shinji put all his effort into the one thing he was good at, cooking.  
  
An hour later, a worn out Shinji fell into his seat at the table. The last hour or so had been spent slaving in the kitchen preparing a feast fit for a king. The steaks were cooked evenly all the way through, the sauce was nice and hot, the salad crisp and fresh. Now all that was left was for it to be eaten.   
  
"Asuka, Misato. Dinners ready!" He stated from the kitchen, not knowing if it was appropriate, but risking it as opposed to knocking on their doors.  
  
After waiting several minutes, he realised they weren't going to join him and so served himself and began eating, saddened at the fact that all his efforts had amounted to nought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The more she thought about it, the more she cried. Eventually, when her eyes hurt too much, she stopped crying. Although they had argued before, Asuka knew that this time she had stepped over the line. This time she was in the wrong. Realising what needed to be done, she set about figuring out how to word her apology. After a few minutes, she relaxed and prepared herself to wait out the remaining few hours till Misato was drunk before showing herself and making her apology.  
  
After her stomach grumbled for the hundredth time that hour, Asuka decided to come out of exile, the lure of red meat being too tempting. After hearing Shinji announce that dinner was ready, she spent a couple of minutes tidying up her appearance and then hesitantly crept down the hallway towards the kitchen. Upon seeing that Shinji was eating dinner alone, she strode out of the shadow of the hallway, her posture belying her uneasy feeling.  
  
Taking a seat at the table opposite Shinji, she eyed him for a few moments as both teenagers racked their brains to think of something to say. Shinji noticed the swollen redness of Asuka's eyes and realised she had been crying, a lot. After swallowing his mouthful, he spoke up.  
  
"Um...are you ok?"  
  
"What does it look like? Not only did I call my commanding officer and guardian a bitch and a slut, but Kaji just dumped me, so to answer your question, NO I AM NOT OK!!"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Asuka calmed herself down, before responding in a quieter voice. "Shinji, if all your going to say is sorry then I don't want to hear it ok?"  
  
"But..I am sorry. I know how much Kaji meant to you so I'm sorry about what happened." Drawing a surprised expression from her, he continued. "Um, would you like dinner now?"  
  
"No, I'm not hungry." Asuka answered, however her stomach chose to object to that answer.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." Shinji said as he got up to serve Asuka. He was just about to place her plate down on the table when Misato's door opened and Misato emerged, looking like she had just woken up.  
  
"Shinji is din..." She stopped speaking when she saw Asuka seated at the table. "Don't worry, I'll serve myself." she told Shinji as she walked past Asuka, completely ignoring the young German.  
  
After a moments hesitation, Asuka sucked in a big breath of air and cleared her throat. "Um...Misato."  
  
"What?!" was the response through clenched teeth, Misato not even stopping to turn around and face her.  
  
"Um...I want to say that...I'm sorry...about before...I didn't mean it..."  
  
Misato put her plate down fast enough to cause a loud clang. Resting her palms on the counter, she used all her willpower to control herself. "Then why did you say it?"  
  
"Well...it's just...that..." Asuka began sobbing, the truth being too much to handle. "...today...*sob*...at the...*sob*...mall...Kaji...told me not to call him anymore...he said that...*sob*...he didn't have any time for me and my games..." Asuka's small frame heaved up and down as she gasped for air between sobs.  
  
Seeing her charge in so much anguish, Misato lost her anger and crouched down beside her and engulfed Asuka in a hug. "Hey, it's ok. Just let it all out..." Eventually, they withdrew from their embrace, Asuka wiping tears from her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry Misato..."  
  
"I know. Don't worry about it. Just don't do it again ok?"  
  
Asuka smiled weakly. "Ok."  
  
Filling her plate, Misato joined the other two at the table. "So, how are you holding up?"  
  
"Alright I guess. At first it was like I wished it was all a bad dream and I would wake up, but I think I'll get over it." Asuka responded, looking a lot better than ten minutes ago.  
  
"Well that's good. It just goes to show you how much of a jerk men really are!" Misato scoffed.  
  
"Yeah tell me about it! I bet he did it in public just so that I wouldn't yell at him or anything!"  
  
"That sounds just like him!"   
  
"You know he even said that he was out for bigger game, like you." By now Asuka was back to her old fiery self.  
  
"Why that little weasel! Wait till I see him tomorrow!"  
  
All of a sudden Asuka lost the smile. "Misato, what do you do to make this feeling go away?"  
  
"Well, chocolate works well. So does ice cream, but I find that the best way to see out a broken relationship is this!" She retrieved a bottle of clear liquid and placed it on the table. "Alcohol, or more precisely, sake."  
  
"Sake?!?" Both pilots shouted in unison.  
  
"That's right!" answered Misato as she placed a cup in front of Shinji and Asuka, and began opening the bottle.  
  
"But..but...Misato...we..we're only four...OWWWW." Shinji was shut up by a loud smack to the back of his head.  
  
"Shut up BAKA!"  
  
"Now, now. Calm down the both of you. I'm only letting you two drink today because Asuka's having a shitty day. And...."  
  
"And...?" Asuka was curious as to why Misato would be so liberal with her alcohol supply, as she normally kept it out of reach of her and Shinji.  
  
"...Well, I've never been a firm believer in the 'wait till their eighteen' thing when it comes to drinking and other stuff because I think that if you wanted to there are plenty of ways of obtaining alcohol. Rather than tell you two that drinking is bad and you shouldn't do it till your eighteen, I prefer to educate you on the good and the bad of alcohol consumption."  
  
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Shinji inquired, curious as to how Misato could ever say drinking was bad.  
  
"I plan on getting you two drunk tonight!"   
  
"WHAT?!?!" Both children facevaulted.  
  
"You heard me. I realised that sooner or later you two will be going to parties and socialising, and at those parties there's obviously going to be alcohol available. So rather than have you two getting drunk for the first time with 50 other hormone crazed teenagers, I'm going to allow you two the opportunity to drink and get drunk in the safety of this apartment. Hopefully you'll learn how to enjoy alcohol and not to abuse it. And also, I'll be able to keep an eye on both of you."  
  
Asuka positively beamed. She had heard all the hype about drinking and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Shinji on the other hand hadn't given drinking much thought before. All he knew was that Misato got drunk regularly and he didn't want to do the same. In other words he wanted nothing to do with Misato's so called lesson.  
  
"I want nothing to do with it!"   
  
Misato gave him a reassuring smile. "That's ok Shinji. I thought you might not want to participate. Don't worry, it'll be just me and Asuka then."  
  
"Hmph figures that baka Shinji would be too spineless to try something new. Are you too scared that you'll make a fool of yourself?"  
  
Shinji froze for a second. Was he so boring and predictable? All of a sudden, he reached for the bottle, undid the foil wrapper and poured himself a cup, much to the surprise Misato and Asuka's surprise.   
  
Before they could register Shinji's actions, he raised the cup to his lips and downed the it all in one gulp.   
  
"Wow..." was all her got in response from his roommates.  
  
"H.." Shinji tried to speak but found his whole throat burning as the sake made it's way towards his stomach. Not really minding the warm sensation, he cleared his throat and tried talking again. "Ha! Beat that!"  
  
Misato was the first to snap out of her trance. "Um Shinji...how much did you just drink?" she inquired, wondering why there was so much sake missing from the bottle.  
  
"About there." Shinji pointed to a spot on his cup.   
  
"BAKA!" Misato slapped her forehead as she realised that Shinji had drank a whole cup of sake out of his regular, and much larger cup. "Shinji! You were supposed to use the shot glass I gave you!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So? Shinji you just had the equivalent of three standard drinks!"  
  
"Oops!" Shinji panicked as he felt his head spin a little. "What's going to happen then?"  
  
"Well, hopefully you won't throw up. But seeing as this is your first time, that amount of sake is going to hit you all at once, so instead of slowly getting drunk, your probably going to feel dizzy, light-headed, and stumble around a bit while your body tries to absorb the alcohol."  
  
"HA! Good one baka! Try not to throw up on the carpet!" Asuka teased.  
  
"Oh Shut up!" retorted Shinji.  
  
"What?! Why you..." Asuka was about to reach over and smack Shinji for his troubles, but was stopped by Asuka.   
  
"Now Asuka, that's just part of the effects of alcohol. It lowers your inhibitions."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What it means is that Shinji isn't going to be so hesitant and shy now, he's going to come out of his shell so to speak. He's going to be saying and doing a lot of things he normally wouldn't be doing otherwise."  
  
"Oh I see..." Both women turned to Shinji, who was staring off into space with a huge grin on his face.   
  
"Oh boy! I think this is going to be a long night..." Misato poured Asuka a shot and then one for herself and prepared for another fun evening at the Katsuragi residence.  
  
  
  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER 2  
  
=======================================================================  
  
Author's Notes:   
  
Chapter 2 in your face! Sorry about the wait. I think I'm only a couple of days late. Not to worry, chapter 3 will be out in a couple of days to make up for this, and yes it will cover the rest of the evening.   
  
If you want me to get off my lazy ass and write more chapters then just give me a buzz and tell me, I'm really lazy otherwise.  
  
Other than that, not much to say. Don't complain about the scene with Kaji, it had to be done. Also thanks to all those who reviewed my first chapter, and a special note to Rhine, thanks for pointing out the Misato thing, I didn't even realise that! And don't worry, this won't turn into another 'Round Perdition', just have a little patience and all will be revealed.  
  
Anyway, look out for chapter 3 and also another little trilogy I'm working on right now. It's called reunion and should be out as soon as I've retooled it. Till then, Bye.  
  
Email: e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
TGC, Digital Underground, 2001.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Who Are You?

The Digital Underground Presents  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion  
Secrets and Lies  
  
The Golden Child, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
========================  
Chapter 3: Who Are You?  
========================  
  
  
Asuka took another tiny sip of her sake and cringed at the bitterness of it. Not really feeling up to the task of emulating Shinji, she was still working on her second shot, while Misato had downed a few of her own, plus a couple of beers to boot. Shinji, on the other hand, was giving Misato a run for her money as he wandered drunkenly around the place with his own bottle of the wonderful clear liquid.  
  
Shinji felt great. He couldn't remember a time that he had felt better. He felt free, in fact, he imagined that this was what it would feel to have no worries in the world, to not be burdened by hardships. No longer was he consciously watching what he said and did, instead he was acting on a whim, doing what came spontaneously. That's the reason why he found himself at the moment chasing Pen Pen, intent on giving him a well needed bath.  
  
"Come on Pen Pen, you need a bath!" he shouted as he chased the hapless bird around the living room.  
  
Pen Pen, not really understanding why his so called friend was chasing his, ranting and raving, ran for his life, flippers flailing as he looked to Misato for help.  
  
"Poor Pen Pen, do you think we should help him?" asked Asuka as she eyed her half full glass.  
  
"Nah! I'm having too much fun watching Shinji make a fool of himself!" laughed Misato. "And besides, him running around like that will probably sober him up a bit quicker."  
  
Asuka didn't respond, instead, she stuck her pinkie in her glass and cautiously placed it on the tip of her tongue. As she suspected, it still tasted as bad as it did five minutes ago.  
  
"No like?" Misato queried, seeing the redhead's reaction.   
  
"I just can't get past the taste. It's so awful!" she replied, screwing up her face for maximum effect.  
  
"Here, try this." Misato pushed her beer towards Asuka.  
  
"Ewww...this tastes just as bad!" Asuka gave Misato back her beer as she swallowed, trying to rid her mouth of the bitter after taste. "How can you drink that?"  
  
"It takes some getting used to."  
  
"You don't say!" Asuka commented sarcastically. "Anyway if you don't mind, I think I'll be sticking to soda and juice for the time being."  
  
"Good!" Misato exclaimed.  
  
"Good? I thought you wanted to get me drunk?"  
  
"Actually, I wanted to prove two points about drinking. It just seemed that getting you two drunk was the easiest way to prove it. But I think you've learnt your lesson."  
  
"And what were they? The two points that is."  
  
"Well first, I wanted to show you the effects of getting drunk, and secondly I wanted you to realise that you should always think before you drink."  
  
"Well, I'm definitely going to think twice before someone offers me a drink again, but how have you shown me the effects of getting drunk?"  
  
Misato laughed and pointed at Shinji, who was still chasing Pen Pen. "I think Shinji's given you a very graphic demonstration of the effects of alcohol on the human body."  
  
"I guess your right. But what about Shinji? Knowing him, he's probably going to wake up tomorrow and think it was all a dream."  
  
Misato held back her laugh. "Oh I don't think he's going to think it was all a dream. Judging by how much he's drunk, he's going to have one hell of a hangover."  
  
At that precise moment, Pen Pen, still being chased by Shinji dodged the wall of the living room, which he was running towards. Shinji, in his intoxicated state, was a little too late in reacting and ended up plowing straight into the wall at full speed. Unfortunately, seeing as he was chasing Pen Pen, he had resorted to running with his back bent low in order for his hands to reach the small bird, which meant the top of his cranium took the full force of the impact.  
  
"Owww...Not to mention one killer bruise..." cringed Asuka as the two females ran to the living room to assess the damage. As they rounded the lounge, they were met with Shinji sprawled across the floor, laughing and clutching his head as Pen Pen squatted and kicked his midsection while squawking a blue streak.  
  
"Shinji, are you all right?" asked Misato as she raised him to a seating position and checked his head. Shinji responded by bursting into more laughter.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, it doesn't look too bad. At least it isn't bleeding."  
  
"Thank you DR Misato...can I have a lollie pop now?...hehehehe..."   
  
"Okaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy...." echoed Asuka and Misato as they rolled their eyes in disgust.  
  
Misato yawned as she checked the clock. "I think I'm going to call it a night. Sake seems to make me drowsy if I'm not in the mood for drinking. Can you take care of Shinji, Asuka?" Misato gave Asuka her pathetic help me look.  
  
"Ohhh all right." sighed Asuka. "What do I have to do?"  
  
Misato was about to issue some instructions when the phone decided to ring. Wondering who would call at that time of the night, she picked up the receiver.  
  
"Moshimoshi? Katsuragi residence, Misato speaking."  
  
"Um, hello Katsuragi-san, it's Kensuke Aida here. Sorry to bother you so late but can I speak to Shinji please?"  
  
Misato eyed Shinji. "I'm sorry Kensuke, but Shinji's...well..indisposed at the moment, can I take a message?"  
  
"Um...sure. Touji and I were thinking of taking him to the movies tomorrow seeing as he's not going to Okinawa and I was just calling to see if he could make it, that's all."  
  
"That's very considerate of you, Mr. Aida. I'll make sure Shinji gets your message and that he calls you first thing tomorrow morning, OK?"  
  
"Thank you, Katsuragi-san, and sorry for disturbing you."  
  
"Please, Misato will do, and your welcome. Good night Kensuke."  
  
"Good night Misato."  
  
After hanging up the phone, Misato scribbled a note to Shinji and then stuck it on top of the toaster so he would see it in the morning.   
  
"Anyway, as I was saying, just watch him until he sobers up so that he doesn't do anything stupid or hurt himself any more, OK Asuka?"  
  
"All right." sighed Asuka. "By the way who was that?"  
  
"Oh just Shinji's friend. Remind him when he's sober that there's a message for him on the toaster." Misato was about to retreat into her room when she remembered something. "Asuka, sorry I couldn't help more but are you going to be OK with Kaji and all?"  
  
At the mentioning of his name, Asuka felt a sinking feeling in her heart, but kept a brave face. "Yeah, sure. Thanks anyway Misato." She put on a smile.  
  
"OK but anytime you wanna talk, just ask."  
  
"Will do. Oh...about this not going to Okinawa thing, you owe us big time!"   
  
Misato didn't like the devious grin on Asuka's face and mentally kicked herself for agreeing. "Sure thing. Good night Asuka, and Shinji, behave."  
  
"Good night Misato." Asuka waved to her and then turned to face Shinji. "Come on baka, let's get you sober so I can go to sleep."   
  
"No!" Shinji replied defiantly.  
  
"What? Why not?!?"   
  
"Not until you stop calling me baka!"   
  
Asuka had a laugh at Shinji's hurt expression and decided to humour him a bit. "OK I won't call you a baka.......you baka."  
  
"Thanks Asu...hey!"   
  
"All right! Come on, let's get you sober Shin-ji!" Asuka then helped him onto the sofa. "Now stay here while I get a drink to wash this bad taste out."  
  
Shinji reached over to the coffee table and picked up his bottle of sake. "Here have some of this." Before Asuka could stop him, he took a swig and offered the bottle to her.  
  
"How do you do that?" she asked, surprised that Shinji could handle the potent brew so easily.  
  
He shrugged. "I dunno? I just do. Try it."  
  
She waved her hand in front of her. "No thanks..."  
  
"Awww is the Great Asuka afraid?"  
  
Not particularly liking being teased by a drunk Shinji, she grabbed the bottle from him and took a decent sized drink. Expecting to be grossed out by the taste she was pleasantly surprised when instead she felt a warm sensation as the liquid passed through her, masking the bitterness.   
  
"See...nice isn't it?"  
  
"Wow." she replied, eyeing the bottle with a new found interest. Closing her eyes, she savored the warm sensation. She opened her eyes when she felt Shinji grab for the bottle. "I think you've had enough!"  
  
Shinji sulked. "Awww your no fun!"  
  
Asuka frowned. She was still having a hard time getting used to Shinji in his intoxicated state. "And since when did you become so fun loving, huh?" she retaliated.  
  
"Since I got drunk! It feels great, it's so fun!" he said with a stupid grin on his face. "TRY!" Shinji pushed the bottom of the bottle towards Asuka's mouth.  
  
"Not tonight Shinji."  
  
"Why not?" Shinji feigned looking hurt. "Don't you want to get drunk with me?"  
  
Asuka laughed. She was enjoying Shinji's newfound playfulness, however she just wasn't in the mood to have fun, not after what had happened earlier that day. "No...it's just...." Words failing her, she hunched her shoulders and let out a barely audible sigh.  
  
"Kaji." Shinji stated more than questioned. Shinji turned his body around so that he was facing Asuka as they both sat on the sofa.   
  
"You know what?" Shinji said, trying to lighten the mood. "You need another guy."  
  
"Yeah right!" Asuka scoffed. "Like who? And don't you dare say one of those stooge friends of yours!" she warned. "Who am I kidding? Kaji was the only one for me..."  
  
"Maybe, the person your looking for is right in front of you. You just haven't noticed him yet."  
  
Asuka stared at Shinji blankly as his words sank in. Did he just imply? No it couldn't be! Shinji couldn't care for her, she treated him so...so bad.   
  
She suddenly became aware of Shinji trying to get her attention.  
"Asuka." Shinji waved his hand in front of her face until she acknowledged him. "Do you want to talk about it?"   
  
Asuka nodded. Subconsciously, her grip on the bottle tightened. She desperately wanted to share with someone her problem, but didn't know if she could bring herself to do it. Realising what she held in her hands, she took a long drink and steadied herself.  
  
Judging by the way she was shaking, Shinji deduced that Asuka was having some trouble broaching the subject and so took the initiative.  
  
"Why are you so hung up about him? I mean you weren't going out or anything."  
  
"Your right. We weren't going out, but that doesn't mean I didn't care about him. You know, I spent the better part of five years chasing after him. Five years Shinji! That's a third of my life and for what? Nothing! I don't have anything to show for it, nor can I say I've accomplished anything! I'm such a baka! Why did I bother anyway?!? I should have just never bothered and saved myself the time and the embarrassment!!"   
  
A moments silence ensued as Shinji digested her words, allowing her to composed herself and take another sip of sake.  
  
"Did you have fun with him?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you have fun with him?" repeated Shinji. "In all the years you chased after him, did you do any fun things with him?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you enjoyed yourself right?"   
  
She nodded.  
  
"And would you have had a chance to do those things if you hadn't known Kaji?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Then, you know what I think?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You knew that you and Kaji could never be, yet you still tried, and during that time you enjoyed yourself. So rather than sit there and feel sorry for yourself, cherish those memories and be thankful that you had the chance to experience it!"  
  
Asuka blinked once. Asuka blinked twice. Asuka blinked again. After her tenth blink, Shinji became restless.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That was so....deep!" Shinji blushed.  
  
"When did you become so deep?!"  
  
"I can be deep sometimes!" Shinji stated.  
  
"Can not!"  
  
"Can too!"  
  
"No you can't! Your spineless Shinji! You couldn't be deep if you were thrown into a bottomless pit!"  
  
"I can so be...so...can...be...can...YES I CAN!!!!"  
  
Asuka broke out in a fresh fit of laughter at Shinji's slurring speech, collapsing onto the sofa. Moments later Shinji joined in, not really finding his behaviour all that funny, but happy that Asuka was laughing.  
  
"So...you feel any better now?"  
  
"Yeah, a lot actually. Thanks for the advice Shinji."   
  
He felt his ears heat up.   
  
"You know, you should speak up more often. It suits you better."  
  
"You think?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Yup! And to think all this time I thought you were a clueless baka."  
  
"Gee, Thanks Asuka." Shinji said in his most humble voice. "Your not too bad yourself..."  
  
Asuka brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god! Quick, get the camera, Shinji just gave me a compliment!!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Away in some secluded alleyway, deep within the heart of one of the wards of Tokyo-3, the sound of a can being kicked was heard as it echoed through the surrounding walls . Mentally kicking himself for not being more careful, the unidentified man, clad in heavy black trenchcoat, carried on his way until her came to a solitary door. For the casual observer, the door looked to be the same as countless others littered around the neighbouring alleys, but if one took the time, they would notice the lack of handles, the high tension bolts hinging it to heavy duty mounting brackets indicating a weight much more extreme than that of a wooden door, and the faint outline of a recessed panel beside it.   
  
Walking up to the door, the man retrieved a remote from his pocket, and after a press of a button the recessed panel slid open to reveal a keypad. Entering the desired code resulted in the slow metallic swinging opening of the door. Waiting patiently until the door had opened far enough to walk through, he had one final look behind his shoulder to make certain he wasn't being followed and then disappeared into the shadows.  
  
He stood in position, a mere couple of feet past the doorway, waiting for the door to automatically close in on itself. Once the door creaked shut and the last trace of night light was shut off, the hallway was bathed in bright halogen light. The hallway continued for ten metres before abruptly ending at a large shiny metallic door which wouldn't look out of place in a bank vault. Beside that door was another keypad with a slot. Inserting a card and entering a different code, the doors began to slide open. Once the doors were open, he stepped into a circular room of sorts and pressed a series of buttons on the touch pad. This resulted in the floor slowly sinking away from the door, until the light of the hallway was only a speck up above.  
  
When the elevator finally came to a stop, another door, identical to the last opened and he walked into a small cubicle. Inside the cubicle was a chair, a table complete with microphone, touchpad and screen. On the left wall was a scrambler device for the encryption of messages and signals and on the right wall, a collection of radar modules designed to warn the occupant of any attempts to track or locate his whereabouts.  
  
Getting comfortable, he activated the active warning devices before checking his watch and dialing up a number. Once the dial tone was received, the scrambler kicked in, decoding inbound messages and encrypting outbound ones. With all the active warning equipment up and running, he tested the mic before switching the screen on. The screen buzzed to life, showing a large circular room with a circular table set in a stone base. Set into the table, evenly spaced were 15 holographic projectors, one for each chair at the table. Not being a scheduled meeting, the chairs were all empty, in fact the whole room was unused except for the three other holographic projectors. Normally, an image of the respective owner would be shown, but on this occasion, the 'Sound Only' screen was chosen, the members choosing forgo the formality of it all. Instead, the only distinguishing features among the four images were the numbers below the "sound Only' logo. Those numbers being 01, 02, 03, and 04.   
  
01: Ah, You decided to finally join us. Welcome number 3.  
  
03: Hello all. Sorry for the delay, I had to make sure I wasn't followed.  
  
01: Very well. What is the purpose of this meeting, 3?  
  
03: Yes. Well, I called for this meeting because of a discovery I made last night. Now I assume your all aware of a man called Ryogi Kaji, correct?  
  
02: Yes we are, continue.   
  
03: Well it has come to my attention that NERV and Ikari himself may have underestimated the resourcefulness of this particular individual.  
  
04: And how is that?  
  
03: I'm uploading some information that was attained when I hacked into his personal database via a Magi terminal last night.   
  
The man removed a disk from his pocket and loaded it into the reader before typing in the commands to send it to the other members logged on.  
  
03: As you can see, nothing that we haven't seen before, but the question is...  
  
01: How did HE get his hands on this?   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh...that was a killer..." Asuka burst out into more laughter. "Please...no more..." she blurted out as her midsection hitched up and down, trying to force air into her exhausted lungs.  
  
"O-okay." Shinji got his breathing under control before sitting upright on the floor. Since their little talk earlier things had quickly become more jovial, especially in Asuka's case as she began making up for lost ground to Shinji by downing most of the remnants of the bottle. Had they not been so inebriated, the alcohol consumption would probably still be in progress. However, for the last ten minutes, grossly unfunny jokes had been shared by the duo, met with an unusual amount of side splitting laughter.  
  
Finally able to keep a straight face, Asuka raised herself to a seating position as well and faced Shinji. Suppressing a giggle, she eyed him, waiting for a conversation starter to appear.  
  
"So, um like what did you and Kaji get up to? Anything cheeky?" Shinji did his best Misato impression, even adding a wink.  
  
"Not even close! In fact now that you mention it, the only things we ever did were so tame that I wouldn't be surprised if people thought he was my older brother!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You know! Usual stuff like going to carnivals, the movies, shopping." Asuka said, counting off her fingers.  
  
"Usual?"   
  
"Yeah! Just normal stuff, that's all, although it was fun when I used to get Kaji to pick me up from my friends places. My friends always got jealous at me!" Asuka smirked.  
  
"Wow, it must be fun to have someone like that to take you places..."  
  
Asuka gave Shinji a 'What the HELL are you talking about?' look.  
  
"You know, like an older brother."  
  
"Oh THAT! Don't worry, it's over rated anyway." Asuka said dismissingly.  
  
"But still...I never had a bigger brother or sister to do that with..."  
  
"Duh silly, that's what your fathers for!" She sounded annoyed.  
  
"Yeah...but..." Shinji sighed.  
  
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" She cut him off. "We are having fun tonight, not getting all down about you and your father, you hear me?!?"   
  
Shinji nodded his acknowledgment.  
  
"Good, now change the subject!"  
  
"OK." He racked his brain for something fun to talk about. "How about...you tell me about Germany?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know, Germany. Deutschland."  
  
"I know that! But why the interest?"  
  
"Well, you always seem to enjoy talking about Germany, so now I'm listening." he stated.  
  
"OK, where to start...."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He sat quietly as his colleagues discussed openly between themselves, answering any questions they had from time to time.  
  
01: So, you found all this data on his database, right?  
  
03: Yep. I acquired his password from a hacker contact of mine, and then I hacked in after hours when there was a skeleton shift working.  
  
02: And you think he would be useful to our cause?  
  
03: Think about it? The information he has can only be acquired by someone who has a vast contact base. And judging by the size of the file, he's been gathering this information for a while now. Not to mention that it takes some skill for him to do what he has done. He might be the perfect field operative we've been looking for. And to top it off, it seems he's doing this for personal gain, and not working for an organisation, which makes him easier to recruit.  
  
04: Yes, it does seem that way, but can he be trusted?  
  
01: Can anyone be trusted these days? That's the question. I have given your suggestion some thought, and if there are no objections I see no reason to not contact him.  
  
02: I second that.  
  
04: Me too.   
  
01: Good, then it is agreed. As of tomorrow you will initiate contact with Ryogi Kaji and he will be given the opportunity to join our organisation. The usual precautions apply. Run a security check on him, and make sure no one comes in direct face to face contact with him until it is 110% certain he can be trusted.   
  
03: Understood. Consider it done.  
  
01: Very well. This meeting is over. The next time we meet is our weekly meeting. I hope to see you all there, Goodnight.  
  
One by one, the holograms disappeared until 03 was still showing. Sighing, 03 signed off and pocketed his disk before shutting down all machinery. "Tomorrow you meet your destiny." he whispered before exiting the chamber, looking forward to getting home and taking a warm bath.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What?" Asuka was becoming self conscious. Shinji had been staring at her with a serene smile ever since she had finished talking.  
  
"Huh? Oh nothing. It's just, you seemed so happy when you were talking that's all."  
  
"Well, you'd probably be the same if I asked you about Japan."  
  
"I don't think so..." he whispered.  
  
"Not again!" she exclaimed. "Come on, out with it! What's wrong now?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just that I really don't know much about Japan myself. I mean before I came here the only place I've ever been was in Tokyo-2 with my uncle."  
  
"So?!? Heaps of people are like that! What's to say that Tokyo-2 was boring?"  
  
"I guess I would have been OK if my father was actually around to do things with me..."  
  
Asuka was too shocked that Shinji was divulging this information to speak.  
  
"I mean when you were telling me about all those things you did back in Germany with Kaji and your friends it got me thinking. You know, my father left me with my uncle when I was four. Just left. And my uncle didn't really care for me, only enough so that I stayed alive." He turned to see if Asuka was still listening to his sob story. "I never got to do those things you said. Never went to the movies, or the carnival, or even a friends house. Not to mention going on picnics or holidays or even just to the park to play. I never got to do any of those things and it just pisses me off when I think about it sometimes. How my father just abandoned me..."  
  
Asuka was beyond shock now. She didn't know this about Shinji. When she had first came to Japan, she had gotten a hold of his personal file. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Father was head of NERV, Mother died in an accident, living with uncle in Tokyo-2, average grades, no disabilities, no mental disorders. Just an average kid. How wrong she was.  
  
"I...I...you haven't had it easy have you?" she asked in a sincere tone.  
  
Shinji sighed. "No..."  
  
Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or maybe it was the fact that that evening she had connected with Shinji in a way she had not done since she could remember or maybe it was her inner conscience. Whatever it was, she found herself saying something she would normally have not.  
  
"Well that's going to change! As of tomorrow, I, Asuka Langley Sorhyu, am going to personally make sure you, Shinji Ikari, have a fun and prosperous life in Tokyo-3!" She stated with conviction and determination.  
  
"....say what....?"  
  
"You heard me! I'm going to show you a good time!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cos you need it! And we are friends aren't we?" He nodded.  
  
"Good. Then it's settled. Tomorrow be prepared for some fun." She gave him a warm smile. "Now, time for bed third child. I have a feeling your gonna need the energy tomorrow."  
  
Shinji couldn't stop smiling as he made his way to his room. Not only did he have a decent conversation with Asuka, but they had come to an understanding of such, hell, she even said they were friends! Not believing how well things had turned out that evening, he snuggled into his bed, content that for once he would get a good nights sleep. As for tomorrow, that was tomorrow, and as they say. "Tomorrow is another day."  
  
  
  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER 3  
=======================================================================  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Well...what lies in store for young Shinji Ikari? Sorry to disappoint all of those who thought that they would get drunk and engage in wild acts of pleasure...Pleeease, get a hold of reality!   
  
Did you like my little secret men's business part? And you wondered why the story's called Secrets and Lies....anyway, this marks the point in the story where other things come into play. Don't fret, I'm still going to pursue a Shinji+Asuka relationship, however I thought that 50 odd chapters of pure waff would be a tad too extreme.  
  
Just to clear up a few things from last chapter...thanks to the reviews, I realised that there were a couple of grammatical errors in chapter 2. Not to worry, I've fixed them and the revised chapter 2 will be posted when this is, so if your reading this then ch2 will be up and running. Sorry bout the mix up, it won't happen again, that is until the next time I find myself writing a 30kb odd file in a day and forgetting to proof read it because it's four thirty in the morning on a school day and all I have on my mind is how crappy my radio reception in my room is....I mean sleep!   
  
Please review, the longer the better. I would actually like people to give me their views on my writing and the story, not just a 'it's good' or 'it sucks'. Please tell me why it was good, or more importantly why it sucked so I can improve it. hey, it's the least you can do after I've slaved all week to bring you out another chapter. I await all reviews with much anticipation. until next week, ja ne. ;p  
  
Email: e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. First Contact

The Digital Underground Presents  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion  
Secrets and Lies  
  
The Golden Child, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
=========================  
Chapter 4: First Contact  
=========================  
  
  
Dragging his sore body out of bed, Shinji made his way to the bathroom to prepare himself for the day. As he passed his clock he noted it was still early Sunday morning, yet he could make out the distinct sounds of commotion coming from the kitchen.  
  
Having a good look at himself in the mirror, he began combing out his hair.   
  
"You know what they say. 'You know you've had a good night's sleep if your hair's messy.'" He muttered to himself as he bought the water into play in an attempt to stop his hair from sticking up.  
  
After a good ten minutes wrestling with the comb, and a few more spent brushing his teeth, he emerged from the bathroom bleary eyed and all, running on autopilot.  
  
As he made his way to the kitchen, his brain translated his retinal impulses and informed him that both Asuka and Misato were seated at the table. Probably waiting for me to make breakfast, he thought as he continued. Left foot, right foot, left foot. Wait a minute! They're already eating!   
  
"Well well, if it isn't the great Shinji himself." joked Misato as he fell into a seat. "So glad of you to join us."  
  
Shinji blinked, then looked at Misato who sipped her beer and blinked back. He then glanced at Asuka who had her back to him, buttering some toast. He then turned to Misato and noticed her lips were moving, however the words weren't registering. As his head absently nodded to the rhythm of Misato's words he was dimly aware of a ring in the background. That was followed by a much more pronounced crash as Asuka deposited a plate in front of him with two slices of freshly toasted bread.  
  
"There you go. Don't expect this to be an everyday occurrence though, I was hungry and didn't want Misato to cook, that's all. Well.....?"  
  
As Shinji looked up at Asuka speaking, he noticed how her facial features turned from happy to neutral to a frown before she huffed and strode off to the fridge. Moments later he was greeted with a very cold object pressed up against his head, followed by a slap to the forehead.  
  
"I think he's finally gone stupid after that hit last night!"   
  
"Maybe right..." laughed Misato.  
  
"Um...Thank you Asuka." Shinji spoke up after finally snapping out of his trance.  
  
"Hmmmph, it's about time! Your welcome Shinji, but you owe me big time." she smirked.  
  
"OK, but next time can you not hit me so hard? My head feels funny now."  
  
Asuka rolled her eyes in disbelief before pulling the post it note she had unceremoniously stuck to his head off and slammed it onto the table.  
  
"Baka! That's a message from your stooge friend!"  
  
"Oh...oops...gomen." he sheepishly replied as he read the message.   
  
'Shinji. Kensuke called. Give him a call first thing.'   
  
Recognizing the Kanji as Misato's, he turned to her for an explanation.  
  
"Oh yeah...Last night Kensuke called when you were drunk so I took a message. They plan on taking you to the movies today because you aren't going to Okinawa with them and I said you'd give them a call this morning to confirm so get going and start calling."  
  
Asuka frowned as she viciously bit into her toast. She had planned on going to that new amusement park with Shinji today, however his stupid friends had ruined that prospect, not to mention he seemed to have forgotten also. Therefore, she sat quietly at the table, mumbling as she chewed. Shinji would probably choose to go with her if she reminded him, however her pride put an end to that idea.  
  
After a few minutes Shinji reappeared and began finishing off his toast while he juggled with the ice pack on his head.  
  
"So what time are you going? You need a lift?" Misato questioned.  
  
"8 o'clock."  
  
"That's in ten minutes!" Misato stated as she checked the oven clock.  
  
"Tonight. I remembered I have somewhere to go with Asuka today so we're going to sleep over at Touji's house tonight and watch movies. Is that ok?"   
  
"Sure it is." Misato smiled.   
  
Asuka on the other hand let out a muffled choke as she crammed her mouth full of bread to hide her grin. Maybe Shinji wasn't as stupid as she thought.  
  
"So...where is Shinji taking you on this date?" Misato inquired with her trade mark wink.  
  
"We are NOT going out on a DATE and don't you forget that!" screamed Asuka. "Geez, just because I feel sorry for the guy and decide to show him how to have a life doesn't mean we're getting married!"  
  
"OK, ok. Calm down. I was only joking you know. So where are you and Shinji going then?"  
  
"The new amusement park on the harbourside. Amusing, Is it not?." she replied enthusiastically. Asuka had heard from people at school that the new park was a work of art in design and rides and had wanted to try it out since she got here. Apparently it was only a year or so old and so was still in great condition and all the rides were still a treat, although they were based on designs almost half a century ago.  
  
"Oh that reminds me. Seeing as we can't go to Okinawa, you can pay for us today."  
  
"Ok"  
  
"What...?" Asuka had been expecting a different answer. Although the cost of entry wasn't astronomical, Misato surely couldn't afford to pay for them both. Asuka herself could barely afford it herself because she figured she would be refunded for not going on the school trip.  
  
"No problem. Here use this card. It's a NERV debit card. I was issued it when I became your guardians for the sole purpose of financing your needs."  
  
"Wow! All expenses paid!" shouted Asuka with joy.   
  
"Are you sure it's ok?" questioned Shinji skeptically.  
  
"Absolutely. Commander Fuyutski gave me special permission to show you two a fun time because of your situation so enjoy."  
  
Misato finished her beer and left for her room. "I'm off to NERV, want a lift to the park?"  
  
"Yeah?" both replied in unison   
  
"OK. We leave in half an hour."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Half an hour later, all three were packed into Misato's car, speeding down the highway, destination Amusing, Is it not?. Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, One Ryogi Kaji was just clocking in at NERV HQ. As he made his way to his makeshift office, he mentally went through his 'To Do' list. Break up with Asuka. Check. Shampoo hair. Check. Aftershave. Check. Calibrate password scanner. Check. Clip nails. Check. Hit on Misato. Work in progress. Hack into Melchior database number 100423. Work in progress. Undo tie slightly. Check. Gun loaded. Check. Refresher mints. Check.   
  
"Well, all set for another day at the office."  
  
Swiping his entry card again, he curtly entered his office and booted up his computer terminal, not forgetting to engage his scrambler module hidden under the table.  
  
Moments later, as the coffee maker announced the first batch of coffee was done, Kaji was already decoding the Magi encryption device.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Take care and don't be home too late, or I'll cook dinner ok?"  
  
"Ok Misato. Bye." both teens waved as Misato drove away. Thumbing the card in her pocket, Asuka quickly strode towards the entrance, not waiting for Shinji. Luckily they had arrived just as the park was opening and as such there wasn't a long wait to get in.   
  
As soon as they stepped through the turnstiles, Asuka grabbed Shinji's wrist and pulled him aside. "Ok. First things first. Today is a fun day so there are some rules to adhere by. One. No moping or getting down. Two. No complaining. Three. Obey everything I say. Four. Observe the master and you'll have a great time. Got it?"  
  
"Yes Master." Shinji grinned, getting caught up in the excitement.   
  
"Great! Now for the fun!" Asuka skipped off to the nearest ride, the whole time not letting go of Shinji's wrist.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Pulling into her parking spot with a squeal and a lock of the brakes, Misato scanned the level and spotted the car she was looking for.  
  
"Perfect." she whispered as she engaged the remote central locking and made her way to the elevator. She had a score to settle.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Bingo!" Kaji clapped his hands as he saw the counter reach zero, indicating the database was open. Moving the cursor to the first icon, he double clicked it and steadied himself to intake some highly confidential information, however, what he saw, caused a shiver down his spine. Before he could think, the door beeped. Getting his brain into gear, he hit the off switch for the monitor and swung his chair around, hand at the ready to unholster his fire arm.  
  
He quickly withdrew his hand and smiled when the door opened to reveal Misato. "Why Katsuragi. What a pleasant surprise. Here on business or pleasure." he said with a crooked grin.  
  
"Cut the bullshit! What the hell do you think your doing?!?!" she demanded.  
  
"I don't know what your talking about?" he glanced at his monitor to double check that it was indeed off.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me! I'm talking about ASUKA!"  
  
"Oh..." Kaji smiled. Still too quick for them to catch. "How much do I owe? I'll pay for anything she broke."  
  
"Put your money away! Nothing's broken, however, I might not be able to say the same about you when I'm through!"  
  
"Calm down Misato..." He had expected Asuka to act like this, but Misato? Maybe she was becoming too attached to the kids.  
  
"Calm down? Calm down? How can I calm down?!?!" Misato was really getting worked up now. Although Asuka was a handful sometimes, Misato was her guardian and was determined to protect her and Shinji from harm, physical and emotional. "You just broke a little girls heart! Don't you care about her at all?!?!?" She screamed into his face, ready to see his hurt reaction.   
  
"More than you can imagine." he replied in a soft yet very serious tone as he got off the chair and raised himself to his full height to look her in the eye. "More than you can imagine." he repeated. "I would give my life for that girl."  
  
"Then why? Why did you do it?" her tone returning to normal.  
  
"I did it for her. She doesn't need me. What she needs is someone who will be there for her, someone who can love her, someone to make her forget the past. I'm not that person and I'd only be making it worse for her if I kept pretending I was. We both know it had to happen. Better now than later when she's older."  
  
Misato crossed her arms. She knew he was right. She hated when he was right. "That's beside the point! You could have at least done it less conspicuously!"   
  
"We're talking about Asuka here. Anything less conspicuous and do you think she would have gotten the message?" he grinned, knowing he was winning this little argument.  
  
"This is not over! Your not off the hook Mister!" Misato stormed out of his office in a huff, not at all happy that he had turned the argument around to his favor. Giving the door a good kick and a suggestion to go forth and self procreate, she headed for the command centre.  
  
After he was sure Misato was gone, Kaji let out a sigh of relief before switching back the monitor. What greeted him was still the same screen with the same three lines.  
  
'We've been watching you. You should do well to watch yourself. You have mail.'  
  
After the initial shock had died away, and after he convinced himself that he couldn't have been found out, he checked his mail box. One blank envelope. Opening the envelope, he was greeted with a sheet of paper and some writing.   
  
'We know who you are. We have been watching you and now the time has come for you to meet your destiny. Do not ask why me? But rather why not earlier. Tomorrow you shall meet that which has eluded you for so long. The truth. The path you choose now shall determine your future. On one hand, ignore this and continue on your way. On the other hand, take this letter as the start of your journey. If you choose the latter then you will endeavor to be at Pier 14 in Tokyo Harbour. Pick me up at 9:00pm sharp next to the phone booth. Good bye and Good Luck. May your choice be the right one.'  
  
Not knowing what to think of the letter, he quickly burnt it and shut his computer down, searching for the nearest vending machine that dispensed beer.   
  
  
  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER 4  
=======================================================================  
  
Author's Notes  
  
AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH Sorry for the delay. Gomen Nasi ^_^  
  
There were a couple of reasons why it took a while for this chapter to come out. One is the obvious one and that was exams. However the other one was a really stupid one. Unfortunately my ISP decided to go belly up last month so for a couple of weeks I was stuck without internet access. Not to worry though, as I have now started a new account with an ISP that hopefully won't go bankrupt. How an internet company offering cheap rates and outstanding services, and the backing of the two richest and influential media magnates in Australia with $450 million in assets goes in the red I'll never know.   
  
Anyway, now that my ISP problems are fixed, I can work on the fanfics, and I also have a month off to do it in.   
  
You may have noticed that this chapter is unusually short, or short compared to previous. That's because the first three were building up to something. If any of you are left confused about anything like the reactions of the characters or the direction of the plot or anything else for that matter, be patient. It's not a continuity flaw, just part of the story. All will be revealed later, I promise. And another thing, for those of you out there thinking that the little meeting I had going was SEELE, think again. I'm not telling who they are but, they're definitely not SEELE. Once again, patience is a virtue.  
  
On a trivial note. Did you know that in Japan, there are vending machines that sell beer! In fact, beer is one of the lesser weird things they sell. You can buy rice, laundry powder, cutlery, and get this. There's a machine that dispenses soiled womens underwear in vacuum sealed packages! They come in packs of three with a picture of the wearer when they were a school girl. Talk about weird!   
  
By the way, anyone guess where I got the name for the amusement park from?  
  
Anywho. It's late, and I have a busy day tomorrow so me must post now. Until we meet again ;p  
  
e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. A Stroll In The Park

The Digital Underground Presents  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion  
Secrets and Lies  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
================================  
Chapter 5: A Stroll in the Park  
================================  
  
  
Things were going good for Asuka at the moment. Luckily being a Sunday morning, there wasn't a line up as such and now, by lunch time, they had ridden most of the fun rides. Shinji on the other hand looked a little bit more worse for wear.  
  
"Please! Can we sit down?" he begged, trying to keep breakfast down. That last ride had taken it's toll on him and now, ten minutes later, he still couldn't shake of the nausea.  
  
"Oh all right...I'm hungry anyway. You wait here while I get some good old deep fried junk food. Want any?"  
  
Shinji managed to wave a negative as he made a break for the nearest toilet block. Shrugging, Asuka made her way to the food stand.  
  
She emerged a few minutes later holding a tray chock full of food and drinks.   
  
"Are you going to eat all that?" asked a bewildered Shinji.  
  
"Of course not! I couldn't decide what I wanted so I bought one of each!"   
  
Shinji shook his head as he reached for the bottle of water.  
  
"Hey!" Asuka shouted, her mouth full of hot dog. "Get your own."  
  
Shinji frowned and was about to respond when he was cut off.   
  
"Only joking, geez. Who wants to drink water anyway."  
  
"Thank you Asuka-chan" He sighed happily as the cool refreshing liquid washed away the bad after taste still in his mouth. After a few more sips, he could feel his stomach settling and the nausea easing somewhat.   
  
Still not feeling up to the task of eating, he sat quietly, sipping his water as he watched Asuka hungrily devour the so called food in front of her. Eventually, she sat back, seemingly content.   
  
"Phew...that tasted great! I'm full, you want any?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. It seemed Asuka wasn't lying when she said she couldn't decide on what to eat as she had at least taken a bite of everything she purchased. A dagwood dog lay on it's wrapper, the top bitten off, a hamburger, the pickles removed, had two bites taken out of it, a couple of chips were missing from the cup, the meat pie, a chunk missing, the hot dog, half eaten lay neglected while all the drinks were opened, venting their carbonated gases as they sat in the sun. What a waste of food, thought Shinji as she dumped the contents of the tray into the nearest bin.  
  
"What? I'm not paying so why not enjoy myself?!?!" Asuka felt the need to justify her actions to Shinji as he looked at her in a disapproving way.  
  
"I didn't say anything!" he shrugged. "So, what ride do you want to go to now?"   
  
"Just give me a sec, I don't think I can move just yet." responded Asuka as she rubbed her bloated midsection. "Besides, it's only 12 and we've got all day so there's plenty of time to do everything."  
  
Shinji sat back down, somewhat relieved at not having to tackle another adrenaline pumping ride just yet.  
  
"Having fun yet?"  
  
"Um...yeah, lot's. Thanks Asuka-chan."  
  
"Hey?" she dragged out. "Since when did this start? 'Chan?' Since when did you ever call me that?"  
  
Shinji blushed slightly. "Well that's how you greet a friend."  
  
"Actually, 'kun' is the greeting for a friend." Asuka corrected him.  
  
"I know, but Asuka-chan sounds better than Asuka-kun."  
  
It was Asuka's turn to blush as she realised what the term 'chan' implied.  
  
"That's beside the point." she laughed. "What I want to know is why you never called me that before?"  
  
Shinji shrugged. "Well, you were always saying how annoying I was and yelling at me I didn't know if you hated me or not."  
  
Asuka lost her playful smile as she turned serious. "Let's get this straight. I do not hate you!"   
  
Shinji looked confused.  
  
"A man once told me when I was small that it's not OK to hate someone. You may hate what someone does or say's, but it is never OK to hate someone." She put on a smile. "So you see, I never hated you Shinji. It's just that sometimes I really wanted to shoot you for how you acted."  
  
"Gomen." Shinji mumbled.  
  
"That's what I'm talking about!" Asuka slapped the table to emphasize her point. "Your always saying sorry even when it's not your fault or it's out of your control. Do you know how much that pisses me off?!?!"  
  
Amazingly, Shinji caught himself before he responded with another 'gomen'.  
  
"But...that's just the way I am." he sighed.  
  
"No it ISN'T" Asuka glared at him for a moment. "Do you know why we're here today?"  
  
"To have fun?" Shinji replied after a short think.  
  
"No! The reason we're here together and not me by myself is because last night I had a lot of fun. And you know what? I realised that last night when you were drunk, that was the real you. I'm not talking about spineless wimp boy Shinji, but the Shinji who pilot's eva. Who defeats angels, the real Shinji Ikari."  
  
"You really think so?"   
  
"Yep." Asuka responded with a commanding nod. "And if I'm going to have to live with you as well as work and go to school with you, I'm going to do it with the bearable Shinji, got it? So, if your gonna be a baka wimp again you might as well go home!" she joked.  
  
Shinji simply stared at his bottle of water as if deep in thought.   
  
"I know it wasn't a very good joke, but you could have at least had a bit of a laugh, hell, a giggle would have been enough!"  
  
"Huh? Oh sorry Asuka-chan, I was just thinking..."  
  
"I know that, baka!" she snapped back. "That was your cue to tell me what you were thinking about!"  
  
Shinji shook his head in a fleeting moment of confusion before taking her advice. "Well, I was just thinking about a talk Misato and I had a couple of days ago that sounded very similar to the one we're having now, that's all."  
  
"Oh, do tell!"  
  
Shinji frowned as he wondered why she had to over dramatise every nuance and word in her vocabulary.   
  
"Well, I was just asking Misato whether she thought I should speak up more often, you know, like be more responsive."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She said that it would probably be a good thing, but that I needed to decide for myself."  
  
"And what did you choose?" Asuka asked impatiently, wishing for all the world that Shinji would speak up.   
  
"Well, I decided...yes."  
  
"Well what are you waiting for then? An invitation? I mean apart from last night your still boring old Shinji to me!"  
  
"Hey! It's not like I can just turn it on. It's harder than that, but I'm trying!" Shinji said indignantly.  
  
Asuka sighed. "I guess you are. Tell you what, being the good friend that I am, I'm even going to help you!"  
  
"And why would you want to do that?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"I don't know, but at least I know when to say thank you and not look a gift horse in the mouth!"   
  
"Sorry..."  
  
"Hmmph...why aren't I surprised?" mumbled Asuka. "Lesson #1: Stop saying sorry unless it's called for and you really mean it! Got it?"  
  
"Yup. Don't apologise." Shinji smiled.  
  
"Good. Lesson#2: Be more confident."  
  
"Okaaay...how do I do that?"   
  
"Well....try this. The next time you want to do or say something, don't worry about what other people think and just do it."  
  
"Are you sure?" Shinji said uneasily.  
  
"Oh yeah. Nobody has anything better to do all day than to nit-pick over your every word and move!" she replied sarcastically.  
  
"Well, if you put it like that then I guess your right..."  
  
"Of course I'm right!" she cut him off. "I'm always right and the sooner the world realises that, the better off we'll all be." Asuka scoffed.  
  
Shinji decided against speaking his mind at that moment.  
  
"What's lesson #3?"  
  
"Woah...slow down a bit. I think that you should just concentrate on being more confident for the time being."  
  
"OK."  
  
"Good. Now let's go have some more fun, I still want to try that cool looking roller coaster, 'The Tummy Twister'."  
  
Shinji grimaced as he heard the name of the ride.   
  
"So, um. Thank you for your help Asuka-chan."  
  
Asuka turned her head to look at Shinji and flashed him a toothy smile. "Your welcome Shinji. You know if you keep up the 'chan' business I guess I'll have to call you Shinji-kun."  
  
Shinji felt his heart jump as Asuka spoke his name.  
  
"Or maybe..." Asuka joked. "It should be baka-kun seeing as I call you that more."  
  
"Yeah..." laughed Shinji. "Maybe I should just change my name to Baka. Baka Ikari."  
  
Both teenagers had a good laugh as they made their way towards the turnstiles, side by side. As friends for once.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Touji stumbled out of his bed as the phone continued to ring. Glancing at his watch, he mentally kicked himself for sleeping in again.   
  
"Hello, Touji here."  
  
"Touji. It's me."  
  
"Yeah I know it's you, Kensuke. What's up?"  
  
"Well movies today is off, Shinji's busy. So is it OK if we stay over at your house tonight? You know, the three stooges and all. We'll watch some movies and hang."  
  
"Sounds good. What do I have to do?" inquired Touji as he struggled to weave his right hand through his shirt sleeve.  
  
"Nothing. I'll bring over some of my movies and we can go shopping for food when we get there so just clean up that pig sty of yours and be home at about 7:30 OK?"  
  
"Cool. Hey don't forget to bring the movies." Touji put an emphasis on the word 'movie'.  
  
"Gotcha. Don't worry, I got it all covered. Hey I'll see you later tonight."  
  
"Will do. Later Kensuke."  
  
"Bye."  
  
After he returned the phone to the cradle, Touji finished dressing and then surveyed the apartment. A pig sty wasn't too far off the mark, he thought as he formed a plan on how he would clear the mess. Normally the apartment was pretty clean, however with his father pulling more shifts and spending less time at home and him spending his spare time visiting Mari, the junk had quickly piled up.   
  
As he began collecting all his dirty clothes he reminded himself to give Mari a visit later that day. Although he had only visited her on Friday, he was going to be away on the school trip until Thursday, so this would be the last chance to see her for a few days. Not that she would complain about him neglecting her, in fact, she had always insisted he didn't need to visit so often seeing as she was very popular with the staff and they kept her company along with the other patients. No, that wasn't the reason why he would strive to see her as much as possible, but rather to calm himself. The more he saw her, especially now that her condition was stable, the more he began to believe that there was still hope for her walking again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I hate you SHINJI IKARI!" Asuka spat out, her words loaded with contempt.  
  
Shinji half listened to Asuka's rants as he followed her to the rest area. True to form, The Tummy Twister had just done that, and Asuka had come out worse for wear. Shinji, on the other hand, having had no lunch, had been able to enjoy the ride to it's fullest.  
  
"That was fun!" he said gleefully as his heart raced.  
  
"Damn you Shinji! How come you didn't get sick?!?!"  
  
"Well, maybe I didn't stuff myself full for lunch!"  
  
Asuka gave him her patented death stare before keeling over as her stomach began complaining.  
  
"You don't look too well."  
  
"I'm not well..." she replied through breaths.  
  
"Want to go home?"  
  
Asuka nodded before disappearing behind a toilet block.   
  
Shinji waited patiently for Asuka to reappear before they both made their way towards the exit.   
  
Once on the train, Shinji peered out through the window as he saw the amusement park pass by. He took in the sights of all the throngs of people. Children, teenagers, families. All having fun and enjoying themselves. All sharing a common interest. In peace. In happiness. So much happiness. Slowly as the high rise buildings began to obscure the view, he looked back at the day in fondness and felt for the first time in many years a sense of hope. For himself and for the world.   
  
  
  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER 5  
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Author's Notes:  
  
Wow! Only a week late! Real sorry about that but what can I say? I guess I got a little too carried away with the holidays thing and went to one too many parties. ^_^  
  
Anyways, because your all such dedicated readers I'll try really hard to make up for the lost week by posting the next two chapters by this time next week. No need to thank me, just give me a nice long review.  
  
As for this chapter, I actually wanted to include the rest of the day until he leaves for Touji's house, but the last paragraph just came to me in a spur of the moment and I liked it so much that I wanted to end the chapter on it. Another reason for the delay of this chapter was I had a little bout of writers block earlier on as I wanted to word the Asuka/Shinji conversation a specific was and nothing I could think of was exactly how I wanted. In the end I think I've captured it right. Basically, I wanted to show why Asuka would be so willing to allow Shinji to come with her. Tell me if you think I've done it right or not.  
  
BTW, as of late my brain just doesn't seem to want to think funny, hence the lack of Omakes, so if anyone has an idea they want me to use for an omake, email it and I'll give it a thought.  
  
Next chapter? Well Touji and kensuke plan a night that Shinji won't forget, or want to for that matter. Asuka and Misato have a little girl talk, and Pen Pen plots his revenge. All that and more in chapter 6, coming to you live and loud via the information super highway.   
  
So, until next week, behave and leave all the neighbourhood letterboxes alone. ;p  
  
e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001  
  
  



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